Sunrise on the Moon: A Stunning Shot by the “Blue Ghost” Lander

11th March 2025

2 minutes read

Sunrise on the Moon: A Stunning Shot by the "Blue Ghost" Lander

In a groundbreaking achievement, Firefly Aerospace’s lunar lander, “Blue Ghost”, has captured a breathtaking image of the sunrise on the Moon, marking the beginning of its scientific operations on the lunar surface.

On Sunday, March 2, “Blue Ghost” successfully landed near Mons La Hire, a lone lunar peak situated in the Mare Crisium (Sea of Crises) basin on the northeastern part of the Moon’s near side. Following its successful landing, the spacecraft activated its scientific payloads and began capturing stunning images of its surroundings as well as distant Earth from the Moon’s surface.

Firefly shared an awe-inspiring image of the sunrise on its X platform, showcasing the striking contrast between the bright sun and the shadowed, uneven terrain of lunar craters.

In its post, Firefly stated: “Wake up to a lunar sunrise! The ‘Blue Ghost’ lander has captured its first sunrise on the Moon, signaling the start of the lunar day and its operations on its new home.”

Firefly also noted that several NASA scientific payloads have already begun functioning and will continue operating for about two weeks, even during the lunar night, until the end of the mission, which relies on solar power.

These scientific instruments will help analyze the Moon’s composition, geology, heat flow, and space weather conditions. The lander will also conduct a drilling technology test, while its cameras will document how lunar dust behaves at sunset.

This landing, which occurred 46 days after “Blue Ghost” was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on January 15, marks a major success for Firefly Aerospace.

Following the landing, Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly, stated: “This is an unforgettable experience for our company. This bold and talented team has proven that we can provide reliable and affordable solutions for reaching the Moon. And we’re just getting started.”

Kim also emphasized Firefly’s commitment to establishing a permanent lunar presence through annual missions, paving the way for further solar system exploration.

“Blue Ghost” was selected as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, which aims to send scientific and technological instruments to the lunar surface in support of the Artemis program.

In the near future, other private lunar landers will also attempt Moon landings, including “Athena” from Intuitive Machines and “Resilience” from the Japanese company ispace.