Firefly Aerospace has confirmed that all is well with its lunar-bound Blue Ghost spacecraft, which launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 15.
In fact, things are going so smoothly that the mission team has been able to cancel a plan to perform a controlled adjustment to the flight path of the spacecraft as it makes its way to the moon.
“The team confirmed Blue Ghost’s first trajectory correction maneuver was performed with such accuracy we are skipping the next one,” Texas-based Firefly said in a post on X on Tuesday. “With Earth in the rearview mirror, we’re on cruise control until we reach the moon’s orbit and perform a Lunar Orbit Insertion in just a couple days. So long, and thanks for all the fish!”
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Way to go #GhostRiders! The team confirmed Blue Ghost's first trajectory correction maneuver was performed with such accuracy we are skipping the next one. With Earth in the rearview mirror, we're on cruise control until we reach the Moon's orbit and perform a Lunar Orbit… pic.twitter.com/8p6ywBWuH0
— Firefly Aerospace (@Firefly_Space) February 11, 2025
As you can see in the video above, Blue Ghost managed to capture some breathtaking footage of Earth from one of its onboard cameras, with sunlight creeping into the top of the shot toward the end of the clip.
Blue Ghost Mission 1, also known as “Ghost Riders in the Sky,” is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, and is supporting the space agency’s Artemis campaign to establish a long-term human presence on the surface of our nearest neighbor.
After 25 days in Earth orbit, the spacecraft is now heading toward the moon where it’ll spend 16 days in lunar orbit before landing on March 2. It’ll touch down near a volcanic feature called Mons Latreille within Mare Crisium, a large basin located in the northeast quadrant of the moon’s near side. After that, the lander will deploy 10 scientific investigations and technology demonstrations, beaming back data that should prove useful for future crewed missions.
Speaking about Blue Ghost Mission 1 last month, Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly, said his team is now “fully focused on execution as we look to complete our on-orbit operations, softly touch down on the lunar surface, and pave the way for humanity’s return to the moon.”