Blue Ghost Lunar Mission Sticks Its Landing on the Moon

NASA's Blue Ghost lunar lander has arrived on the moon's surface, a striking achievement for Blue Ghost builder Firefly Aerospace and for the US agency's commercial space program. The chunky spacecraft touched down "softly" and in an upright, stable position on its very first attempt on March 2, the company announced Sunday. Since the landing, Blue Ghost has been communicating with ground control operations in Cedar Park, Texas. "Our Blue Ghost lunar lander now has a permanent home on the lunar surface with 10 NASA payloads and a plaque with every Firefly employee's name," Jason Kim, Firefly CEO, said in a statement. "With annual lunar missions, Firefly is paving the way for a lasting lunar presence that will help unlock access to the rest of the solar system for our nation, our partners, and the world." The mission, named Ghost Riders in the Sky, launched on Jan. 15 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Blue Ghost lander separates from its launch vehicle in Earth orbit ... Read full article.