Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Achieves Historic Lunar Landing Under NASA's CLPS Program, Aiming to Bolster U.S. Lunar Economy

Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lunar lander successfully touched down on the moon's Mare Crisium, marking a historic soft landing for a privately built spacecraft. This mission, executed under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payloads Services (CLPS) program, aims to establish a sustainable lunar economy led by U.S. businesses. The lander carries 10 instruments to study the moon, supporting NASA's Artemis program, which plans to return astronauts to the lunar surface by 2027. NASA officials emphasized the importance of the CLPS program in maintaining U.S. leadership in space and fostering commercial partnerships. While the mission underscores a focus on U.S. space dominance, NASA also highlighted the international collaboration aspects of the Artemis program, including partnerships with multiple countries through the Artemis Accords.