Blue Ghost Begins Surface Operations, Captures Descent Video, Sunrise

Shortly after landing on the Moon March 2, Firefly Aerospace and NASA teams kicked off surface operations for the science and technology instruments on the company’s Blue Ghost lunar lander. Firefly also captured the lunar sunrise and a video during descent and landing.

All NASA instruments onboard continue to be healthy and several payloads have already collected data, including:

• The Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS) successfully lifted and removed lunar regolith, or dirt, using electrical forces on the glass and thermal radiator surfaces. The EDS re-duster also demonstrated its ability to move regolith (lunar soil and rock), aiding dust management. While data analysis continues, the dust instrument has fulfilled most of its objectives. These results confirm EDS as a promising solution for future lunar surface operations.
• Shortly after landing, the Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE) was powered on and began conducting their first science operation and acquired and tracked Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals on the lunar surface for the first time ever — approximately 225,000 miles away from Earth.
• The Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies (SCALPSS) instrument captured images during the spacecraft’s lunar descent and touchdown on the lunar surface. Although the results are still being analyzed, this data provided by SCALPSS could help shed insight into the effects that engine plumes have on the surface.
• Blue Ghost’s Surface Access Arm deployed the Lunar PlanetVac (LPV), which was developed to efficiently collect and transfer lunar soil from the Moon to other science instruments or sample return containers without relying on gravity. Since deployment, Lunar PlanetVac has begun sampling lunar regolith.

During the 14 days of surface operation, NASA payloads will continue collecting science and data on the Moon as part of the agency’s Artemis campaign. Continue to follow along for more CLPS updates nasa.gov/clps.