Sunrise on the moon captured by Blue Ghost spacecraft after NASA and Firefly Aerospace announce successful lunar landing

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The Blue Ghost ’s lunar lander has captured a sunrise on the moon and other arresting images after its successful touchdown on the lunar surface betimes on Sunday morning ( Mar. 2 ) .

Blue Ghost landed in an tremendous basin in the northeastern part of the moon ’s near - side at 3:34 a.m. EST , NASAannounced in astatement . The infinite agency is working with commercial infinite exploration party Firefly Aerospace , which is leading the delegation , to con more about the moonlight and prove new technology on the lunar Earth’s surface for future space geographic expedition . Blue Ghost is only the 2d secret lunar lander ever to park on the Sun Myung Moon , after Intuitive Machines ' Odysseus crafttouched down in Feb. 2024 .

A photograph of a sunrise on the moon captured by Firefly Aerospace�s Blue Ghost lander.

Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander captured a sunrise on the moon.

After Blue Ghost ’s successful landing , Firefly Aerospace CEO Jason Kim said in astatementthat Firefly was " literally and figuratively over the Moon . “Blue Ghost Mission 1to the synodic month , or " Ghost Riders in the Sky , " is the first of Firefly ’s three planned commission to our nearest celestial neighbor that will rununtil 2028 .

" With annual lunar missions , Firefly is paving the room for a lasting lunar front that will help unlock access to the relaxation of thesolar systemfor our country , our partners , and the world , " Kim suppose .

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Blue Ghost Mission 1’s first Image on the surface of the Moon.

Blue Ghost’s first Image on the surface of the Moon.(Image credit: Firefly Aerospace)

Blue Ghost set up from the NASA Kennedy Space Center on Jan. 15 . The delegation antecedently captured atrove of photoson its way to the moonlight . The previous snaps issue forth after Blue Ghost made its landing inside Mare Crisium , a lunar watershed more than 480 kilometer ( 300 miles ) wide , accord to the NASA statement .

Despite reaching the synodic month a full class after Intuitive Machines ' Odysseues lander , Firefly Aerospace claimedit ’s the first commercial company to " successfully shoot down on the lunation " after Blue Ghost softly touched down and still stands upright and unchanging . Last year , Odysseus ended upface - plantingthe moon while snap one of its legs in the process . ( This stumbled landing place onlypartially touch the commission ’s success , Live Science antecedently cover . ) Intuitive Machines aims to fall to the moon with its Athena lander on Thursday ( Mar. 6 ) , Live Science ’s sister siteSpace.com reported .

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An image of the top deck of Blue Ghost’s lunar lander on the surface of the moon with Earth in the background.

The top deck of Blue Ghost’s lunar lander with Earth in the background.(Image credit: Firefly Aerospace)

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Firefly Aerospace and Intuitive Machines are part of NASA ’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program . NASA has tell that by working with American companies it is supporting thecreation of a " lunar economy"that will help organise for the next coevals of space explorer .

A photo of the Blue Ghost’s lunar lander on the surface of the moon with Earth in the background.

Blue Ghost’s shadow on the surface of the moon with Earth in the background.(Image credit: Firefly Aerospace)

Blue Ghost has 10 NASA instrument in its lander that will maneuver on the moon ’s control surface for about 14 Earth twenty-four hours ( one lunar day ) . NASA technology will test subsurface drilling equipment , deep sample distribution collection , radiation patient of computation and more , grant to the blank space agency .

" The science and technology we send to the Moon now helps groom the way for future NASA geographic expedition and retentive - term human mien to inspire the world for generations to come,“Nicky Fox , an associate administrator at NASA , articulate in the assertion .