The Blue Ghost lunar lander privately developed by Firefly Aerospace is carrying a suite of sophisticated instruments to the moon for NASA.

Summary

Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander is set to attempt a powered descent to the moon early Sunday, marking the first of 3 private robotic landers launched this year.

After a month in Earth orbit and 16 days circling the moon, the 6.6-foot-tall craft will touch down near Mons Latreille in Mare Crisium, operating for 14 Earth days.

Under a $101 million NASA contract, it carries 10 instruments for lunar science and engineering data, part of the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program supporting future Artemis crewed missions.