… they've got to ride forever
On that range up in the sky
On horses snorting fire
As they ride on, hear their cry … ~ Stan Jones, 1948
In mid-January, Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lunar lander will blast off from Kennedy Space Center aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Dubbed Ghost Riders in the Sky Mission 1 by the company, the Blue Ghost will touch down by a volcanic feature called Mons Latreille within Mare Crisium. The more than 300-mile-wide basin is located in the northeast quadrant of the Moon's near side.
Contracted by NASA in February 2021, the private aerospace firm is benefitting from NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. Through this program, the space agency is investing in commercial delivery services to the Moon to enable industry growth and support long-term exploration.
Throughout the Apollo and Space Shuttle eras, NASA paid open-ended cost-plus fixed fee contracts, covering all the development costs for space vehicles. But the CLPS program pays a lump sum for services, saving the agency billions of dollars. Private companies shoulder the development expenses but are also free to pursue other customers. NASA’s use of SpaceX for ISS resupply missions is an example.
Once Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander has safely touched down in Mare Crisium, it will deploy its payload of several robotic instruments and devices. Science investigations will include testing lunar subsurface drilling, regolith sample collection, global navigation satellite system abilities, radiation tolerant computing, and dust mitigation. The data captured should provide insights into how space weather and other cosmic forces will impact future missions.
According to the company’s website, the lander itself boasts impressive capabilities for lunar exploration. Its modular construction allows for customization to suit various mission needs. It can carry up to 150 kg and offers a spacious interior for scientific instruments. The vehicle utilizes a powerful propulsion system for maneuvering and soft landings on the lunar surface. And its low center of gravity and widely spaced adjustable struts will ensure its stability.
Once on the ground, the Blue Ghost provides data, power, and thermal regulation to support the operation of its payload throughout the lunar day (approximately 14 Earth days). This first mission serves as a rigorous testbed for the Blue Ghost, providing valuable information on its performance and reliability in the lunar environment.
The Blue Ghost carries instruments to analyze the regolith (surface soil) for water ice. Identifying such resources is vital for establishing a sustainable human presence on the Moon. Ice can be processed into potable water for drinking or for oxygen production at future outposts. In-situ resource utilization will be crucial for supporting a long-term occupation on the Moon, and later, on the Red Planet. Transporting these resources from Earth would be prohibitively expensive.
Mission 1 will also demonstrate a communications link that will be used for communication relays with Firefly’s Lunar Pathfinder, an orbital platform that will be deployed on a second Ghost Riders in the Sky mission to the lunar far side in 2026. This region remains perpetually out of radio contact from Earth due to the Moon’s synchronous rotation. Hence, the need for a reliable orbital comm link.
Watch for the liftoff of this important mission during its six-day launch window next month.
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Want a deeper dive? Check out these sources.NASA.(2024, November 25). NASA Invites Media to Firefly Blue Ghost Mission1 Launch to Moon.
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#search/firefly/FMfcgzQXKNJlhqTWTDZcvHSdFWpwcvCL
NASA.(2024, December 10). NASA to Discuss Firefly’s First Robotic Artemis MoonFlight. NASA.gov.
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-to-discuss-fireflys-first-robotic-artemis-moon-flight/
NewSpace Economy (2024, July 26). Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost: Pioneering LunarExploration and Customizable Cislunar Solutions. Newspaceeconomy.ca.
https://newspaceeconomy.ca/2024/07/26/firefly-aerospaces-blue-ghost-pioneering-lunar-exploration-and-customizable-cislunar-solutions/#:~:text=Blue%20Ghost%3A%20A%20Versatile%20Lunar,ample%20space%20for%20payload%20integration.
FireflyAerospace. Blur Ghost Mission 1. Fireflyspace.com.
https://fireflyspace.com/missions/blue-ghost-mission-1/#:~:text=Mission%20Summary&Upon%20launching%2C%20Blue%20Ghost%20will,hours%20into%20the%20lunar%20night.
FireflyAerospace. Blue Ghost. Firefly Space.com.
https://fireflyspace.com/blue-ghost/#:~:text=Blue%20Ghost%20can%20be%20customized,surface%20mobility%2C%20and%20sample%20return.
FireflyAerospace. Blue Ghost Mission 2. Fireflyspace.com.
https://fireflyspace.com/missions/blue-ghost-mission-2/#:~:text=Firefly's%20Blue%20Ghost%20lunar%20lander%20can%20deliver%20150%20kg%20of,thermal%20resources%20for%20payload%20operations
