Firefly Aerospace Sets January Launch for First Lunar Lander Mission

The Blue Ghost 1 lander will deliver NASA payloads to the Moon under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program.

Firefly Aerospace announced a mid-January 2025 launch window for its Blue Ghost 1 lunar lander mission aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
The mission, named 'Ghost Riders in the Sky,' will carry 10 NASA payloads focused on lunar subsurface drilling, regolith sample collection, and lunar dust mitigation, among other objectives.
The Blue Ghost lander completed environmental testing at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and is now preparing for shipment to Florida for final launch preparations.
The spacecraft is set to land near Mons Latreille in Mare Crisium, where it will operate for one lunar day (approximately 14 Earth days) and attempt to function into the lunar night.
This mission is part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, which supports private industry in advancing lunar exploration and aligns with the Artemis program's goals.