Private Lunar Lander Blue Ghost Successfully Lands on Moon for NASA

Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander successfully touched down on the Moon’s surface on Sunday, March 2, 2025, delivering NASA experiments in a historic milestone for private space exploration.

The lander, which descended on autopilot, landed upright near an ancient volcanic dome in Mare Crisium, marking Firefly as the first private company to land on the Moon without crashing. The Texas-based company launched Blue Ghost in January, carrying ten NASA science and technology experiments, including a vacuum to collect moon dust, a drill for subsurface temperature readings, and a device to combat abrasive lunar dust.

NASA invested $101 million in the delivery and $44 million for the equipment, as part of its commercial lunar program aimed at advancing Moon-based business and technology before future astronaut missions.

The successful landing is part of a growing commercial space race, with Intuitive Machines and ispace set to launch lunar missions soon. The next U.S. private lander is expected to arrive later this week.

Source: AP News