The unmanned lunar lander 'Blue Ghost' from Firefly Aerospace landed on the moon's surface at 5:34 p.m. Korean time on the 2nd. It is the second successful lunar landing by a private corporation since February last year, following Intuitive Machines from the United States.
Measuring 2 meters in height and 3.5 meters in width, Blue Ghost entered lunar orbit on the 13th of last month and began preparations for landing. Earlier, Firefly launched Blue Ghost aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from Florida on January 15.
The landing scene was broadcast live by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The landing point is near the ancient volcanic terrain called 'Mons Latreille' in Mare Crisium, a large basin located in the northeastern quadrant of the moon's near side.
Blue Ghost is expected to operate for about 14 days until the moon meets night, performing research and experimental missions. Blue Ghost is tasked with exploring the moon's interior and measuring the distance between the Earth and the moon. It will also capture images of sunsets on the moon and observe how the lunar surface changes under sunlight during twilight. Blue Ghost is equipped with a computer that functions in cosmic radiation and equipment to collect lunar soil.
As part of a project sending artworks to the moon, Firefly also included the 'Polaris Trilogy,' featuring poems collected from around the world, in Blue Ghost. This includes eight pieces of Korean sijo poetry.
Following Blue Ghost, a third private lander is also heading to the moon. Intuitive Machines landed the first lunar lander, Odysseus (Nova-C), near the south pole of the moon in February last year. However, due to a support failure during landing, it tipped over, resulting in an incomplete success. Subsequently, Intuitive Machines launched the second lunar lander, 'Athena,' on the 26th of last month. Athena is scheduled to attempt a lunar landing on the 6th.