Texan company Firefly Aerospace is set to launch its “Blue Ghost” lunar lander on January 15, carrying 10 NASA scientific instruments aboard. The mission, called “Ghost Riders in the Sky,” references the famous song recorded by country music legend Johnny Cash. Scheduled to blast off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7 a.m. Polish time, the lander will be propelled into space by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
According to a joint statement from Firefly Aerospace and NASA, the mission’s goal is to deepen our understanding of the Moon and pave the way for future crewed flights. Standing at two meters tall and three and a half meters wide, the lander will spend around 45 days traveling to the Moon before attempting a touchdown. Once on the lunar surface, it will remain there for about 14 days to conduct experiments, including taking a photo of the Moon’s sunset.
Firefly Aerospace’s contract for this mission, valued at around 93 million dollars, was awarded by NASA in 2021. The upcoming flight is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. It marks the third mission in the series, following one failed attempt and a second mission in February 2024 that succeeded despite damage to one of the vehicle’s legs caused by a navigation glitch.