Tengrinews.kz - A private spacecraft, described as " the size of a large shed," is set to launch in mid-January from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The craft will reach the Moon in 45 days, according to Sky News.
Next month, a private mission to the Moon will take an important step toward humanity’s return to its surface.
The American startup Firefly Aerospace has named its mission "Ghost Riders in the Sky." Their lunar lander, Blue Ghost, plans to land in the Sea of Crisis—a large dark patch on the Moon’s near side, roughly the size of Britain.
The lander will deliver 10 scientific instruments and new technologies as part of NASA’s program to support private companies in space exploration.
Firefly Aerospace CEO Jason Kim said NASA has paid a fixed sum of $101 million (about 52.9 billion tenge) for the mission. According to Kim, this relatively low cost was achieved through the use of modern and innovative technologies.
"It is the gateway to other planets, like Mars. And so enabling the frequency of very affordable and high science-value missions is what private industry is doing with this first Blue Ghost mission,” Kim said.
The lander will touch down on the Moon independently, using shock-absorbing supports and short legs to prevent tipping over. This is especially important given that a similar lander, Nova-C from Intuitive Machines, overturned during its landing near the Moon’s south pole in February last year.
Mission objectives
The Blue Ghost mission will conduct important research on lunar dust, or regolith, which covers the Moon’s surface. According to NASA scientist Ryan Watkins, regolith poses many challenges, from damaging mechanical components to potential health risks. One of the mission's key goals is to better understand how to handle this unique material. To achieve this, the mission will use PlanetVac technology to collect and analyze dust samples. A special dust-proof shield will also be tested to determine how to protect equipment from lunar dust exposure.
Another objective of Blue Ghost is to observe natural phenomena on the Moon. The lander will remain on the surface for 14 days and will record high-quality video of the lunar sunset. It is expected that the mission will provide the first clear images of a mysterious glow caused by dust particles levitating in the Moon’s weak gravity.
This aspect of the mission also has symbolic significance. Firefly Aerospace CEO Jason Kim noted that the video will pay tribute to Eugene Cernan, the last man to walk on the Moon. During his Apollo 17 mission, Cernan observed and sketched the unusual lunar glow. Blue Ghost aims to capture this phenomenon on video to preserve it for future generations.
Earlier, China sent a new group of satellites into space from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center.
Read also: SpaceX conducted sixth test launch of Starship spacecraft
