The Blue Ghost lunar lander has been providing breathtaking visuals of the moon since it successfully entered the moon's orbit on February 13. The latest footage showcases the moon's far side, a region not visible from Earth, captured after the lander transitioned to a lower elliptical orbit about 120 kilometers above the lunar surface.
Firefly Aerospace, the Texas-based company behind the mission, announced the release of the flyby footage, revealing the moon's rocky surface adorned with impact craters. The spacecraft also captured mesmerizing imagery of the lunar south pole, leaving the team in awe of the surreal footage.
Having departed Earth's orbit on February 8, the Blue Ghost is currently halfway through its 16-day orbit around the moon and is scheduled to attempt a descent to the lunar surface on March 2. The lander is equipped with 10 NASA science and technology instruments as part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, supporting NASA's Artemis program aimed at landing astronauts on the moon.
Once on the moon, the instruments aboard the Blue Ghost will operate for over two weeks, focusing on collecting data related to the moon's subsurface, including lunar dust and regolith. This data will be crucial for future astronaut missions to the lunar surface and eventual crewed missions to Mars.
Blue Ghost is expected to land on the far eastern edge of the moon's near side near Mons Latreille, within the Mare Crisium basin. The lander will conduct surface operations for one lunar day before lunar nighttime sets in, causing the spacecraft to halt operations due to darkness and cold temperatures.
Engineers are eagerly anticipating the data and imagery to be collected post-landing, with plans to capture a solar eclipse on March 14, where Earth will block the sun from the moon's surface. Additionally, the team hopes to verify the dust levitation phenomenon during the lunar sunset on March 16, a phenomenon first observed by the last Apollo astronaut on the moon.
