Moon's First High-Definition Sunset Recorded by Lunar Lander Video
In an exciting leap for commercial space exploration, Firefly Aerospace's lunar lander, Blue Ghost, successfully touched down on the Moon's surface on Sunday, March 2. This mission marked a significant milestone, being the first of a series of annual landings planned by Firefly Aerospace.
The mission, part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, was also the longest commercial mission on the Moon to date, completing 14 days of surface operations before ending on Sunday, March 16.
During its stay, Blue Ghost deployed various payloads delivered aboard, including one of the six Stereo Cameras for Lunar-Plume Surface Studies (SCALPSS) 1.1 cameras. This camera captured the shadow stretching across the Moon's surface as the lunar sunset unfolded.
One of the mission's highlights was the awe-inspiring video of Blue Ghost's descent, shared by Firefly Aerospace. The video, created by stitching together images captured by Blue Ghost's different cameras, also featured Earth and Venus shining just above the surface of the Moon.
The lander also captured a total solar eclipse from the Moon on March 14, adding another fascinating event to the mission's chronicles.
Firefly Aerospace became the second company to land on the Moon, and the first to do it with its lander ending up in an upright position. However, it's important to note that the lander was not built to survive the lunar night, and it succumbed to the cold temperatures of the dark after spending about five hours in the lunar night.
Blue Ghost transmitted more than 119 gigabytes of data back to Earth, which the team behind the mission at NASA will further analyse and share the findings.
Firefly Aerospace is already preparing for its second mission to the lunar surface. The company plans to conduct annual landings on the Moon with their spacecraft, following the success of the "Ghost Riders to the Sky" mission.
This historic mission has opened up new possibilities for commercial space exploration, with Firefly Aerospace leading the way in lunar missions.
