Firefly Aerospace Shares Stunning Visuals As Blue Ghost Enters Final Lunar Orbit | WATCH

Science News: Ahead of its landing on the moon, Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost spacecraft has captured stunning images of the lunar surface. 

The lander has captured the visuals of the dark side from 120 km above the lunar surface. 

In a post on X, Firefly Aerospace said, “Earth rise, Earth set, repeat! Blue Ghost's third and final lunar orbit maneuver is complete! Early this morning, our #GhostRiders performed a 16-second burn with our RCS thrusters to enter a near-circular low lunar orbit.”
Blue Ghost spacecraft will now perform a 19-second descent orbit insertion at the 100-km perilune from where the final descent will be initiated towards Mare Crisium on March  2, which is the spacecraft’s final destination. 

Stunning Visuals Captured Blue Ghost Enters Final Lunar Orbit | WATCH

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The Blue Ghost began its journey from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 15. After separating from the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, it established communication with the Mission Operations Center in Cedar Park, Texas. 

During its mission, it spent about 25 days in Earth orbit, followed by four days in lunar transit, and then 16 days in lunar orbit. Upon successfully landing in Mare Crisium, Blue Ghost will operate 10 NASA payloads throughout a full lunar day, which is approximately 14 Earth days. 

The mission will support a range of science and technology demonstrations, including sample collection, X-ray imaging, lunar subsurface drilling, and dust mitigation.