NASA's LRO Captures Images of Firefly's Blue Ghost and Intuitive Machines' IM-2 on Lunar Surface

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has successfully imaged two recent lunar landers on the Moon's surface. On March 2, LRO captured images of Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission 1, approximately 10 hours after its landing. Subsequently, on March 7, LRO imaged Intuitive Machines' IM-2 lander less than 24 hours after its arrival. The IM-2 mission landed closer to the Moon's South Pole than any previous mission. Both missions are part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and the Artemis campaign, aimed at expanding human presence in space. Intuitive Machines concluded the IM-2 mission early. LRO, managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, continues to provide invaluable data about the Moon since its launch in 2009, contributing to NASA's broader lunar exploration endeavors with commercial and international partners.