Blue Ghost, a 6½-foot-tall robotic moon lander constructed by Firefly Aerospace and packed with scientific equipment, is slated to launch during the fourth quarter of this year aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral.
The mission marks another moon lander developed by a private company under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. Blue Ghost has arrived at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California for environmental testing. Afterward, crews will ship the spacecraft to Florida, Firefly officials announced Monday morning.
“This incredible Firefly team implemented innovative testing approaches that are setting a new standard in the industry,” Jana Spruce, Firefly Aerospace vice president of spacecraft, said in a press release.
“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. 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,” Spruce said.
