Firefly Aerospace’s unmanned vehicle, *Blue Ghost*, has accomplished a successful landing on the Moon, representing a noteworthy milestone for the Texas-based firm.

The landmark touchdown occurred on Sunday at 8:34 AM GMT on the Earth-facing side of the Moon, close to Mons Latreille, an ancient volcanic structure in Mare Crisium. This success designates *Blue Ghost* as only the second privately constructed spacecraft to alight on the lunar terrain.

The voyage to the Moon commenced on January 15, as *Blue Ghost* was launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, traversing a total of 2.8 million miles. This signifies the second occasion a private U.S. company has successfully achieved a lunar landing, and the first time a U.S. spacecraft has landed on the Moon since NASA’s Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

The initial private lunar landing was achieved by Intuitive Machines in February 2024. Nonetheless, in contrast to its forerunner, which toppled upon landing, *Blue Ghost* maintained its upright position. Firefly Aerospace’s team celebrated exuberantly when CEO Jason Kim announced that the spacecraft was “stable and upright.”

This mission is a part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, which aims to lower costs by employing spacecraft developed by private entities. The program supports NASA’s Artemis initiative, which intends to return astronauts to the Moon by the decade’s end.

Fitted with nearly a dozen scientific tools, *Blue Ghost* will carry out a variety of experiments, including the analysis of lunar soil and testing the functionality of current satellite navigation systems on the Moon. The spacecraft will also document images of an impending eclipse.

At the same time, two additional private companies have lunar landers on their way to the Moon, including Intuitive Machines, which is making another attempt at landing—this time aspiring to stay upright.