Blue Ghost Shipped to NASA JPL
Blue Ghost Shipped to NASA JPL
Will Undergo Environmental Testing Prior to Lunar Mission
The Blue Ghost lunar lander has arrived at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for environmental testing before the lander is shipped to Cape Canaveral for launch later this year. As part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, Firefly's Blue Ghost Mission 1 lander is integrated with 10 scientific instruments and technology demonstrations that will help pave the way for humanity's return to the Moon.
"The extensive environmental testing we'll complete at JPL combined with the robust testing we've already completed in house will further reduce our risk posture and set us up for a successful, soft landing."
Peter Schumacher, Firefly Aerospace.
The environmental testing at JPL includes vibration, acoustic, thermal vacuum, and electromagnetic interference and compatibility testing to ensure the integrated lander can withstand various flight environments during launch, transit, and landing on the Moon. This testing follows Firefly's robust testing campaign, including extensive qualification testing on the assembled Blue Ghost structure and each component.
"The extensive environmental testing we'll complete at JPL combined with the robust testing we've already completed in house will further reduce our risk posture and set us up for a successful, soft landing," said Peter Schumacher, Interim CEO at Firefly Aerospace.
Firefly also completed nearly 100 lander leg drop tests on multiple surfaces, including sand, lunar simulant, and concrete, to ensure Blue Ghost's shock-absorbing footpads can withstand the unpredictable nature of the lunar surface. The team further built a one-acre moonscape at its Rocket Ranch to test the hazard avoidance and terrain-relative navigation system on a heavy-lift drone, ensuring the system can identify the safest landing site in the final moments of descent.
"After all the hard work, it's bittersweet to see Blue Ghost leave our Texas-based facility, but we're more than ready for this final test," said Jana Spruce, VP of Spacecraft at Firefly Aerospace. We'll have a dedicated team of Fireflies with the lander every step of the way as Blue Ghost travels from Texas to California to Florida ahead of this historic journey to the Moon."
Following final testing, Firefly's Blue Ghost will ship to Cape Canaveral, Florida, ahead of its launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket scheduled for Q4 2024. Blue Ghost will then begin its transit to the Moon, including approximately a month in Earth orbit and two weeks in lunar orbit. This approach provides ample time to conduct robust health checks on each subsystem and begin payload operations during transit.
Blue Ghost Mission 1, named 'Ghost Riders in the Sky', will then land in Mare Crisium, a basin in the northeast quadrant on the Moon's near side, before deploying and operating 10 instruments for a lunar day (14 Earth days) and more than 5 hours into the lunar night.