By SDCN Staff
Firefly Aerospace is set to make history with the first robotic commercial moon landing under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.
Carrying a suite of NASA science and technology instruments, the company’s Blue Ghost lunar lander is scheduled to touch down on the Moon no earlier than 12:45 a.m. on March 2.
The landing site is Mare Crisium, a vast plain in the northeastern quadrant of the Moon’s near side. This mission supports NASA’s Artemis campaign, which aims to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon and lay the groundwork for future crewed missions to Mars.
NASA and Firefly will provide live coverage of the descent and landing, beginning at 11:30 a.m. on NASA+ and Firefly’s YouTube channel. The broadcast will feature real-time updates, blog coverage, and key milestones during the lander’s approach to the lunar surface.
After touchdown, NASA and Firefly will hold a post-landing news conference to discuss the mission’s success and upcoming scientific opportunities. The briefing schedule will be announced following the landing.
A Milestone in Lunar Exploration
Blue Ghost launched on January 15 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida. The lander is carrying 10 NASA payloads designed to study the Moon’s environment, test new technologies, and advance systems that could support future astronaut landings on both the Moon and Mars.
NASA continues to partner with U.S. commercial companies through its CLPS initiative, allowing firms to bid on lunar delivery contracts. These contracts, which run through 2028, total a maximum value of $2.6 billion and cover payload integration, launch, and landing operations. Firefly Aerospace was awarded a $101.5 million contract for this mission to deliver NASA’s investigations to the lunar surface.
The Road to Artemis and Beyond
As part of Artemis, robotic lunar missions like Blue Ghost will pave the way for human exploration by testing critical technologies and conducting scientific experiments. These efforts will support the next generation of astronauts, who will venture to the Moon and, eventually, to Mars.
