Upcoming Mission
Mission 2 to the Moon
Mission Details
Mission Summary
We’re going back to the Moon! Firefly was awarded a second task order by NASA as part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. This time, we’re delivering payloads to lunar orbit and the far side of the Moon utilizing a two-stage vehicle configuration, including Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander stacked on an Elytra Dark orbital vehicle. With payloads from NASA, the European Space Agency, and Australia, this international mission offers additional customer opportunities for lunar surface delivery and orbital services in support of the growing lunar infrastructure.
Blue Ghost Lunar Lander
Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander can deliver 150 kg of payload to the lunar surface and provides data, power, and thermal resources for payload operations through transit to the Moon, in lunar orbit, and upon landing on the far side of the Moon for at least 10 days.
Elytra Transfer Vehicle
Firefly’s Elytra vehicle will serve as a transfer vehicle for Blue Ghost Mission 2. The vehicle can deliver 2,700 kg of payload capacity to lunar orbit with the ability to provide on-orbit services for up to 5 years. It also has sufficient propellant reserve to enable a variety of advanced mission opportunities, such as lunar sample return to Earth and further exploration to nearby planets like Mars and Venus.
Our Destination
Following separation from Firefly’s Elytra vehicle in lunar orbit, our Blue Ghost lander will touch down at the furthest lunar landing site ever achieved on the far side of the Moon. This uniquely “quiet” region is shielded from Earth-born radio frequency noise. The Moon further shields noise from the Sun during the lunar night, making the region perfectly suited to collect valuable data on the cosmic Dark Ages.
Our Destination
Following separation from Firefly’s Elytra vehicle in lunar orbit, our Blue Ghost lander will touch down at the furthest lunar landing site ever achieved on the far side of the Moon. This uniquely “quiet” region is shielded from Earth-born radio frequency noise. The Moon further shields noise from the Sun during the lunar night, making the region perfectly suited to collect valuable data on the cosmic Dark Ages.
Our Payloads
The payloads flying on Blue Ghost Mission 2 will help advance the growing lunar ecosystem by searching for lunar resources, improving lunar communications, and uncovering new insights about the origins of the universe. Firefly’s Elytra vehicle will first deploy the Blue Ghost lander and the European Space Agency’s Lunar Pathfinder satellite in lunar orbit. Blue Ghost will then touch down on the far side of the Moon with Fleet Space’s SPIDER payload and NASA’s LuSEE-Night radio telescope and user terminal. Elytra will remain in lunar orbit to serve as a comms relay and provide radio frequency calibration services for LuSEE-Night with a deployable antenna.
European Space Agency; Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd.
NASA; U.S. Department of Energy
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Fleet Space Technologies
Lunar Pathfinder
European Space Agency; Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd.
Once deployed in lunar orbit, the Lunar Pathfinder satellite will enable continuous communications services for future polar and far side missions on the Moon without direct line of sight to Earth. The satellite will communicate with spacecraft on the lunar surface and in orbit using S-band and UHF frequencies, then relay those communications to Earth on X-band.
Lunar Surface Electromagnetic Experiment at Night (LuSEE-Night)
NASA; U.S. Department of Energy
Once deployed on the far side, LuSEE-Night will be the first operational radio telescope on the Moon. It will measure low frequency radio emissions (<50 MHz) within the inner solar system and observe the red-shifted 21-cm spectrum remnant from the big-bang. This valuable data will help answer questions about the early history of the universe and how the first stars began to form.
User Terminal (UT)
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Our Blue Ghost lander will also deploy a User Terminal communications system on the Far side of the Moon. The User Terminal will commission the Lunar Pathfinder satellite and institute a new standard for the S-Band Proximity-1 space protocol, providing uninterrupted communications for future lunar exploration.
Seismic Payload for Interplanetary Discovery, Exploration, and Research (SPIDER)
Fleet Space Technologies
Fleet Space’s SPIDER payload is part of the Australian Space Agency’s Moon to Mars initiative that’s aligned with NASA’s Artemis program to support future habitation on the Moon. Upon deployment of the payload, Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander will provide ongoing power and communications, enabling SPIDER to capture seismic data from the lunar surface for up to 14 days. This data will offer insights into the geological properties of the lunar subsurface and its mineral profile, such as water ice, that can support lunar infrastructure and further regolith exploration.
Join Our Mission
Blue Ghost Mission 2 still has payload capacity available for additional customers with deployment options and services available in lunar orbit and on the far side of the Moon. Get in touch to learn more about joining our mission.
