Mission Details
Mission Summary
Blue Ghost on repeat! After winning another NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) task order, Firefly is taking a trip back to the Moon’s near side, similar to where Blue Ghost Mission 1 landed. This marks our sixth contracted lunar mission to date with the goal of demonstrating repeatable access to the Moon on an accelerated timeline. Targeted to launch in 2028, Firefly will design, build, test, and deliver the mission in approximately two years, half the time of our historic first mission, by utilizing our proven Blue Ghost lander design and operations.
Our Payloads
For this mission, Blue Ghost will deliver three NASA CLPS science instruments, including the Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA) to enable precision laser ranging, the Linear Energy Transfer Spectrometer (LETS) to measure the radiation environment, and the Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume Surface Studies (SCALPSS) to further study plume-surface interactions during touchdown after flying on Blue Ghost Mission 1.
NASA Langley Research Center
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Lanteris Space Systems
Stereo CAmera for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies (SCALPSS)
NASA Langley Research Center
Stereo Camera for Lunar Plume Surface Studies (SCALPSS) is an array of four cameras that use a technique called stereo photogrammetry to produce a 3D view of the impact of an engine’s exhaust plume on lunar dust as the lander descends on the Moon’s surface. Collecting data from a variety of engine sizes, propellants, and landing locations, these high-resolution stereo images will aid in creating models to predict lunar dust erosion and ejecta characteristics, playing a vital role as bigger, heavier spacecraft and hardware are delivered to the Moon near each other.
Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA)
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
The Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA) reflects laser beams transmitted by Moon orbiters or landing spacecraft to help them determine their orbit position or navigate to the surface. A small cookie-sized device made of eight quartz corner-cube prisms set into a dome-shaped aluminum frame, the array is passive, requiring no power or maintenance. These arrays have flown on previous CLPS landers and international lunar landers and will continue to be used to build a network of permanent location markers on the Moon for future exploration.
Linear Energy Transfer Spectrometer (LETS)
Lanteris Space Systems
The Linear Energy Transfer Spectrometer (LETS) helps to better understand the radiation environment from a variety of lunar transit approaches and at different locations on the lunar surface. Derived from heritage hardware, this radiation monitor uses a tiny, advanced silicon detector to measure the energy carried by incoming space radiation. It will provide information about how strong radiation is and what kind of radiation is hitting the lunar surface, and provides the kind of detailed radiation data NASA needs to design safer missions, protect astronauts, and plan long‑duration exploration.
Our Ride
This mission will utilize Firefly’s proven lander design from Blue Ghost Mission 1 (pictured below) with optimized thermal systems and advanced operational procedures based on real mission experience. These incremental improvements are being integrated into a build-to-print lander, enabling faster production cycles without the need for extensive redesign between missions.
Book a Ride
Firefly’s upcoming missions to the Moon have payload capacity for additional customers. We offer payload delivery, communications, and imaging in lunar orbit with our Elytra spacecraft as well as lunar surface delivery and operations with our Blue Ghost lander. Get in touch to learn more about joining an upcoming mission.
