Overview

• Blue Ghost, built by Firefly Aerospace, became the first private lunar lander to land safely and operate successfully on the moon on March 2, 2025.
• Athena, the second lunar lander from Intuitive Machines, touched down on March 6, 2025, near the lunar south pole, but its full operational status remains unclear.
• Both landers are part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, which funds private companies to advance lunar exploration through science and technology experiments.
• Blue Ghost is conducting experiments on lunar dust, radiation-resistant computing, and magnetic field measurements, while Athena is equipped to search for water ice and test a 4G cellular network on the moon.
• These missions represent significant milestones as private companies contribute to NASA's long-term goals of establishing a human presence on the moon and preparing for future Mars exploration.