Mar 03, (V7N) – A spacecraft from the private US company Firefly Aerospace has successfully landed on the moon after a long journey, marking the second successful private lunar mission. The mission, named Blue Ghost Mission-1, reached the lunar surface on Sunday (March 2) at 3:34 AM Eastern Time, United States.

The spacecraft landed safely and properly, a significant achievement for Firefly Aerospace. The company's CEO, Jason Kim, confirmed the success of the mission, emphasizing that the vehicle landed within 100 meters of its intended target. This marks a significant step forward for private companies in space exploration.

The Blue Ghost mission is part of NASA's broader initiative to collaborate with private companies to reduce the costs of the Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the moon after the historic Apollo 11 mission. NASA Administrator Janet Petro expressed pride in the achievement, stating, "We are putting America ahead, we are proud, we are doing everything for the citizens of the United States."

In addition to the historic landing, the Blue Ghost spacecraft carried 10 NASA research instruments to the lunar surface. These instruments include a device designed to collect lunar dust and a tool to drill holes to measure the temperature 10 feet below the moon’s surface.

The Blue Ghost rover left Florida on January 15 aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and has traveled a remarkable 2.8 million miles to reach the moon. Along the way, it has taken incredible pictures of the journey. The rover is also scheduled to capture high-definition images of the total lunar eclipse on March 14 and moonset images on March 16, which will provide valuable insights into how solar energy affects lunar dust.

Despite setbacks faced by private lunar missions in the past, such as Intuitive Machines' Odysseus rover breaking one of its legs during landing last year, the private space sector continues to make strides toward regular lunar exploration. Firefly Aerospace's successful mission, along with upcoming projects by Intuitive Machines, paves the way for further breakthroughs.

So far, five countries—the Soviet Union, United States, China, India, and Japan—have successfully sent spacecraft to the moon. With this successful landing, Firefly Aerospace adds the United States' private sector to that list of moon explorers.

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