Firefly Aerospace Makes History with Successful Lunar Landing

Firefly Aerospace has successfully landed its Blue Ghost Mission 1 on the Moon, marking a significant achievement for private space exploration. The lunar module touched down at Mare Crisium at 3:34 AM Eastern Time on March 2, 2025, as confirmed by NASA, which reported that the lander is in a stable position.

This mission is a pivotal step in NASA's agreement with private companies to facilitate equipment delivery to the lunar surface as part of the Artemis program. Janet Petro, NASA’s acting administrator, noted that the successful landing enhances the agency's capabilities for future human exploration of the Moon and Mars.

Although Blue Ghost is the first private lander to achieve a stable landing, other companies, like Intuitive Machines, previously attempted but failed to establish operational landers on the Moon's surface. Firefly's module carries ten scientific instruments that will operate on the lunar surface for a lunar day, or approximately 14 Earth days, contributing to research aimed at supporting future astronaut missions.

Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly, expressed gratitude to NASA for their partnership, emphasizing that this victory lays the groundwork for future commercial space exploration.