A US private spacecraft has landed successfully on the moon. Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander became the first private spacecraft to land in the right spot without crashing or toppling over.
Significance of the Landing
Even more private landers will soon be going to the moon to check for business potential prior to a resumption of manned missions. Blue Ghost, via autopilot instruction from orbit about the moon, landed within a volcanic region thought to have existed since the earliest days of the moon's surface. Mission control at Firefly Aerospace assured the safe landing past dangerous items such as huge boulders.
"We are on the moon. The lander is stable," Firefly declared. Preliminary data indicates that the spacecraft landed inside the 100-meter target area at Mare Crisium. Sometime during the first 30 minutes on the surface, Blue Ghost started sending images, the first of which seemed to be a selfie from the moon surface.
Future Lunar Missions
Yet another moon lander, which was designed by Texas company Intuitive Machines, will also be landing on the moon on Thursday. Researchers intend this lander to land 160 kilometers from the South Pole, pushing private exploration of the moon further
