NASA's lunar lander set for historic Moon touchdown tomorrow
NASA's lunar lander set for historic Moon touchdown tomorrow
01 Mar 2025
NASA's Blue Ghost lunar lander, designed by Firefly Aerospace, is all set to make a historic touchdown on the Moon.
The landing is due tomorrow at 2:34am CST (2:04pm IST).
It will be a major milestone in NASA's ambitious plan to create a long-term human presence on the lunar surface.
The spacecraft will touch down in the Mare Crisium region, a large plain on the Moon's near side.
Blue Ghost's landing site and mission duration
Landing details
The Blue Ghost will land near a volcanic feature called Mons Latreille, in the vast Mare Crisium basin.
This area, in the northeast quadrant of the Moon's near side, was once an ancient asteroid impact site.
About three billion years ago, volcanic eruptions filled this basin with basaltic lava, creating its distinct geological landscape.
The lander will work for about 14 Earth days after landing, or one complete lunar day.
Blue Ghost's scientific investigations and technology demonstrations
Research goals
During its operation, the Blue Ghost will conduct various scientific investigations and technology demonstrations. These are aimed at improving our understanding of the lunar environment.
The mission carries 10 NASA science and technology payloads, concentrating on several key areas of research such as heat flow from the lunar interior, plume-surface interactions, X-ray imaging of Earth's magnetosphere, regolith sampling and adherence etc.
How to watch the historic Moon landing live
Live stream
NASA and Firefly Aerospace will live-stream the Blue Ghost's landing, giving the public a rare chance to witness history in the making.
The joint livestream with start approximately 75 minutes before the touch down.
The successful touchdown of Blue Ghost will highlight yet another milestone in the partnership between NASA and private companies like Firefly Aerospace, reiterating the increasing importance of commercial players in deep-space exploration.