Firefly Aerospace has selected SpaceX to launch its Blue Ghost lunar lander to the Moon in 2023. The mission will deploy a dozen NASA payloads on the lunar surface.
In February, NASA awarded Firefly Aerospace a contract under its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program to deliver ten research payloads to the Moon in 2023.
These instruments include a probe to measure heat flow in the lunar interior, an X-ray imager to study interactions between Earth's magnetosphere and solar wind, a radiation-tolerant computer system, and an experiment testing GPS signals at lunar distances.
Weighing a total of 94 kilograms, the payloads will land in Mare Crisium, northeast of the Sea of Tranquility in the Moon's nearside northern hemisphere. The Blue Ghost lander is named after a rare firefly species. The key question was who would deliver it to lunar orbit.
Firefly is developing its Alpha rocket, but it lacks the power for a lunar mission. The company turned to SpaceX and selected the Falcon 9.
“The high-performance SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle enables lunar transit using minimal Blue Ghost propulsion resources,” said Shea Ferring, senior vice president of spacecraft at Firefly. Less propulsion means more room for payloads, allowing delivery of all instruments to the surface.
This contract positions SpaceX to launch five of the six CLPS missions awarded by NASA to date. Intuitive Machines will use Falcon 9 for its two landers, with the first now slated for early next year. Masten Space Systems plans Falcon 9 for Masten Mission One, targeting late 2022.
Astrobotic announced in April that its Griffin lander, carrying NASA's VIPER rover, will launch on a Falcon Heavy. For its sixth CLPS mission, Astrobotic's Peregrine lander will use United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket, scheduled for late this year.
SpaceX also secured a NASA contract to launch the first two elements of the future Lunar Gateway in 2024. Despite the project's temporary hold, SpaceX remains set to return humans to the Moon via Starship under the Artemis program.
