Blue Ghost has already endured a remarkable journey, traveling inside the nose cone of a Falcon 9 rocket to reach orbit. After separating from the rocket, the lander fired its engines, spending a total of 45 days in transit to the moon.
The decision for Blue Ghost to touch down at 2:34 a.m. may seem inconvenient for the engineers at Firefly's mission control near Austin, Texas. However, the timing is strategic. This specific time allows the lander to land during lunar daytime at its designated site in Mare Crisium.
Explaining the rationale behind the timing, Risa Schnautz, Firefly's director of marketing and communications, highlighted the importance of landing when the sun rises at the landing site. By landing during lunar daytime, which lasts for 14 Earth days, Blue Ghost can maximize its operational efficiency and utilize sunlight to power its 10 payloads.
