Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander successfully completed two weeks of science experiments for NASA before losing communication as the sun set on the moon, ending its mission. The lander, part of NASA’s commercial lunar delivery program, landed on the moon’s far northeastern edge in March and carried out all 10 experiments as planned. The mission included observing a total solar eclipse from the moon.
Firefly became the first private company to land on the moon successfully, avoiding the fate of other companies that experienced failed missions in recent years. Only five countries have achieved successful moon landings. Another company, ispace, which shared a rocket with SpaceX, is targeting an early June touchdown on the moon.
Intuitive Machines, another Texas-based company, faced challenges when its lunar lander ended up sideways in a crater near the moon’s south pole, ending the mission. This was the second unsuccessful mission for Intuitive Machines, following a previous landing that had communication issues. Firefly is already planning its next lunar lander, with the goal of one moon landing per year.
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