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The company’s third lunar mission and fourth NASA CLPS mission order uses Firefly’s carbon fiber "Blue Ghost” lunar lander, "Elytra Dark” orbiter and a rover to operate six NASA instruments.
The company’s third lunar mission and fourth NASA CLPS mission order uses Firefly’s carbon fiber "Blue Ghost” lunar lander, "Elytra Dark” orbiter and a rover to operate six NASA instruments.
In mid-December 2024, Firefly Aerospace (Cedar Park, Texas, U.S.) was awarded a NASA (Washington, D.C., U.S.) contract valued at approximately $179.6 million to deliver and operate six NASA instruments on Gruithuisen Domes on the near side of the Moon in 2028. As part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payloads (CLPS) program, the mission will use Firefly's Blue Ghost lunar lander, Evtra Black orbiter and a rover from an industry supplier to investigate the composition of Gruitt's Tucson Dome - a never-before-explored part of the Moon. NASA, SpaceX and Firefly Aerospace plan to launch Firefly's Blue Ghost mission at 1:11 a.m. ET on Wednesday, January 15.
"Firefly is honored to receive our fourth NASA CLPS award for another complex mission that our team does best," said Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly Aerospace. "The team has earned a hard-earned reputation for smooth payload integration, well-rehearsed operations, robust testing and transparency throughout preparation for Blue Ghost Mission 1." Firefly is committed to becoming the commercial company of choice for autonomous systems on the Moon and beyond."
During the mission, Firefly's Eytra Dark transfer vehicle will first deliver the Blue Ghost lander into lunar orbit and then remain in orbit to provide remote communications. Blue Ghost will then land on the Gruittsun Dome, deploy the rover, and support payload operations on the lunar surface for more than 14 days. NASA payloads on Blue Ghost include the Photonic Sheath Lunar Surface Radiowave Observation (ROLSES) telescope, the Sample Acquisition, Morphology Filtering and Detection of Lunar Rocks (SAMPLR) robotic arm, the Neutron Measurement on the Lunar Surface (NMLS) instrument, the Photoelectric Survey of the Lunar Surface (PILS) instrument, and the Heimdall Camera System.
The mission will also carry NASA's Lunar Surface Imaging and Spectroscopic Explorer (Lunar-VISE) payload, with multiple instruments on the lander and rover to determine the composition of the Gruittuzan Ruma Dome. Considered a geological mystery, the Gruittuzan Dome appears to be composed of silica-rich volcanic minerals, which could indicate the presence of water and hydrogen on the Moon. Among other scientific investigations, NASA payloads aboard Blue Ghost Mission 3 will investigate the formation and physical properties of the dome, including the possible detection of water and molecular hydrogen.
"Firefly is committed to annual missions to the Moon for both government and commercial customers, and we will continue to pave the way for a sustained lunar presence," said Brett Alexander, chief revenue officer at Firefly Aerospace. "We are seeing more and more organizations interested in unlocking lunar resources and building a robust lunar ecosystem, and we welcome more partners to join us," said Brett Alexander, chief revenue officer at Firefly Aerospace.
In addition to NASA payloads, Firefly's missions can serve a wider range of customers, providing orbital transfer and long-distance communications services in semi-lunar space on Elytra, and lunar surface delivery and operations services on BIue Ghost.
Firefly's first lunar mission, Ghost Riders, will launch in mid-January 2025 with 10 NASA payloads aboard Blue Ghost. Firefly's second lunar mission is scheduled to launch in 2026, using a two-stage spacecraft configuration similar to the Blue Ghost 3 mission, stacking the Blue Ghost lander on Elytra Dark to support payload operations on the far side of the moon and in lunar orbit.
The company’s third lunar mission and fourth NASA CLPS mission order uses Firefly’s carbon fiber "Blue Ghost” lunar lander, "Elytra Dark” orbiter and a rover to operate six NASA instruments.
In mid-December 2024, Firefly Aerospace (Cedar Park, Texas, U.S.) was awarded a NASA (Washington, D.C., U.S.) contract valued at approximately $179.6 million to deliver and operate six NASA instruments on Gruithuisen Domes on the near side of the Moon in 2028. As part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payloads (CLPS) program, the mission will use Firefly's Blue Ghost lunar lander, Evtra Black orbiter and a rover from an industry supplier to investigate the composition of Gruitt's Tucson Dome - a never-before-explored part of the Moon. NASA, SpaceX and Firefly Aerospace plan to launch Firefly's Blue Ghost mission at 1:11 a.m. ET on Wednesday, January 15.
"Firefly is honored to receive our fourth NASA CLPS award for another complex mission that our team does best," said Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly Aerospace. "The team has earned a hard-earned reputation for smooth payload integration, well-rehearsed operations, robust testing and transparency throughout preparation for Blue Ghost Mission 1." Firefly is committed to becoming the commercial company of choice for autonomous systems on the Moon and beyond."
During the mission, Firefly's Eytra Dark transfer vehicle will first deliver the Blue Ghost lander into lunar orbit and then remain in orbit to provide remote communications. Blue Ghost will then land on the Gruittsun Dome, deploy the rover, and support payload operations on the lunar surface for more than 14 days. NASA payloads on Blue Ghost include the Photonic Sheath Lunar Surface Radiowave Observation (ROLSES) telescope, the Sample Acquisition, Morphology Filtering and Detection of Lunar Rocks (SAMPLR) robotic arm, the Neutron Measurement on the Lunar Surface (NMLS) instrument, the Photoelectric Survey of the Lunar Surface (PILS) instrument, and the Heimdall Camera System.
The mission will also carry NASA's Lunar Surface Imaging and Spectroscopic Explorer (Lunar-VISE) payload, with multiple instruments on the lander and rover to determine the composition of the Gruittuzan Ruma Dome. Considered a geological mystery, the Gruittuzan Dome appears to be composed of silica-rich volcanic minerals, which could indicate the presence of water and hydrogen on the Moon. Among other scientific investigations, NASA payloads aboard Blue Ghost Mission 3 will investigate the formation and physical properties of the dome, including the possible detection of water and molecular hydrogen.
"Firefly is committed to annual missions to the Moon for both government and commercial customers, and we will continue to pave the way for a sustained lunar presence," said Brett Alexander, chief revenue officer at Firefly Aerospace. "We are seeing more and more organizations interested in unlocking lunar resources and building a robust lunar ecosystem, and we welcome more partners to join us," said Brett Alexander, chief revenue officer at Firefly Aerospace.
In addition to NASA payloads, Firefly's missions can serve a wider range of customers, providing orbital transfer and long-distance communications services in semi-lunar space on Elytra, and lunar surface delivery and operations services on BIue Ghost.
Firefly's first lunar mission, Ghost Riders, will launch in mid-January 2025 with 10 NASA payloads aboard Blue Ghost. Firefly's second lunar mission is scheduled to launch in 2026, using a two-stage spacecraft configuration similar to the Blue Ghost 3 mission, stacking the Blue Ghost lander on Elytra Dark to support payload operations on the far side of the moon and in lunar orbit.