Private Lunar Lander Blue Ghost Lands on the Moon with Equipment for NASA

A private lunar lander called Blue Ghost has successfully landed on the moon, carrying a drill, vacuum, and other equipment intended for NASA. The touchdown marks another bold step for private companies aiming to establish business operations on Earth’s natural satellite, as astronaut missions loom closer on the horizon.

Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander, operating on autopilot, gracefully descended onto the slopes of an ancient volcanic dome located in an impact basin on the moon’s northeastern near side. Mission Control, based near Austin, Texas, confirmed the landing with palpable excitement.

"You all stuck the landing. We’re on the moon," declared Will Coogan, Firefly’s chief engineer for the lander, clearly proud of their groundbreaking achievement.

This smooth descent makes Firefly the first private company to land a spacecraft on the moon without any mishaps—no crashes, no topples. And honestly, that’s no small feat given that some government-led missions haven’t been so lucky. To date, only five countries—Russia, the U.S., China, India, and Japan—have managed successful moon landings.

Blue Ghost, named after a rare species of firefly found in the U.S., is a sturdy four-legged lander standing 6 feet 6 inches tall and 11 feet wide. Firefly Aerospace intentionally designed it with extra stability, and boy, did it pay off.

Roughly 30 minutes after landing, the lander began transmitting images from the moon’s surface. The first snapshot? A selfie, though a bit obscured by the sun’s glare. Even on the moon, selfies remain undefeated.

Blue Ghost won’t be alone for long—two other private landers are set to make their lunar missions soon. The next one is expected to join it on the moon later this week, continuing the momentum of private space exploration.