Rahul Somvanshi
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander has been busy since touching down on the Moon’s Mare Crisium region on March 2, 2025. The lander immediately began its scientific operations, most notably deploying the LISTER drill to bore into the lunar surface.
A recently released video shows the pneumatic drill in action, creating small explosions of lunar material as it penetrates the Moon’s regolith. These “sparks” are possibly caused by the Moon’s electrically-charged surface, offering a dramatic visual of lunar exploration in progress.
“By making similar measurements at multiple locations on the lunar surface, we can reconstruct the thermal evolution of the Moon,” said Seiichi Nagihara, principal investigator for LISTER and Texas Tech geophysics professor. “That will permit scientists to retrace the geological processes that shaped the Moon from its start as a ball of molten rock.”
Mission Details and Achievements
Blue Ghost carries 10 scientific payloads as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. The $93.3 million mission marks Firefly Aerospace as the second private company to land on the lunar surface, and the first to achieve a stable, upright landing position.
Eight of the ten NASA payloads had already met their mission objectives by March 6, according to Firefly. These include:
- LISTER (Lunar Instrumentation for Subsurface Thermal Exploration with Rapidity), designed to drill up to 3 meters deep
- Lunar Magnetotelluric Sounder, which deployed four tethered electrodes and an 8-foot mast
- Lunar PlanetVac, which successfully collected and sorted lunar soil using pressurized nitrogen
- SCALPSS, which observed the effects of landing engine plumes on the lunar surface
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Scientific Value and Thermal Research
The LISTER drill, developed by Texas Tech University and Honeybee Robotics, measures two critical aspects of the Moon’s thermal properties:
- Thermal gradient – tracking temperature changes at various depths
- Thermal conductivity – assessing how well subsurface materials conduct heat
The drill pauses at approximately every 1.6 feet to collect precise measurements. This data helps scientists understand the Moon’s formation and cooling over billions of years, with implications for future lunar exploration and potential settlement.
Environmental Challenges and Solutions
Operating on the Moon presents extreme environmental challenges. During lunar noon, surface temperatures can reach up to 121°C (250°F). To manage these conditions, Blue Ghost employs planned power cycling to keep its components cool.
“On Wednesday, Blue Ghost is trying to stay cool during the lunar noontime heat,” reported Firefly. “But as temperatures plummet, Blue Ghost is preparing to ramp up to full power again soon.”
The mission is scheduled to last one full lunar day (equivalent to 14 Earth days), with sunset expected on March 16, 2025. Before its mission ends, the lander plans to capture images of the lunar sunset to study how dust particles levitate above the surface as day transitions to night.
Significance for Future Exploration
This mission represents a significant step for NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon. The data collected by Blue Ghost will inform future lunar missions, helping to address challenges like dust management, resource utilization, and habitat development.
NASA’s acting administrator Janet Petro praised the mission as a stepping stone toward sustained lunar exploration, highlighting the value of public-private partnerships in advancing space technology.
As commercial lunar missions become more frequent, the Moon is “rapidly becoming a crowded place,” ushering in “a new era of commercial drop-offs to space.”
Frequently Asked Questions
The Blue Ghost lander is a spacecraft developed by Firefly Aerospace that successfully landed on the Moon’s Mare Crisium region on March 2, 2025. It’s part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative carrying 10 scientific instruments to study the Moon’s surface, subsurface properties, and environment. The mission supports future human exploration under NASA’s Artemis program by collecting valuable data about lunar conditions.
LISTER (Lunar Instrumentation for Subsurface Thermal Exploration with Rapidity) is a pneumatic drill that’s burrowing into the Moon’s surface. It measures the thermal gradient (temperature changes at different depths) and thermal conductivity (how well materials conduct heat) of the lunar soil. This helps scientists understand how the Moon formed and cooled over billions of years. The drill can reach depths of up to 3 meters (about 10 feet), pausing about every 1.6 feet to collect measurements.
Blue Ghost is designed to operate for one full lunar day, which is equivalent to about 14 Earth days. The mission began on March 2, 2025, and the solar-powered lander is expected to cease operations when the sun sets on March 16, 2025. After lunar sunset, without solar power, the lander will run out of energy and its mission will end.
The video of Blue Ghost’s LISTER drill shows small explosive eruptions of lunar material that look like sparks flying from the drilling site. These are likely caused by the interaction between the drill and the electrically-charged lunar surface. The Moon lacks an atmosphere and has different electrical properties than Earth, which can cause interesting visual effects during mechanical operations on its surface.
The Moon experiences extreme temperature variations, with the surface reaching up to 121°C (250°F) during lunar noon and plummeting during the night. Blue Ghost uses a technique called “power cycling” to manage these conditions. This means it temporarily powers down some systems during the hottest parts of the lunar day to prevent overheating, then ramps back up to full power as temperatures decrease. This strategic power management helps protect the lander’s sensitive equipment.
Blue Ghost is notable for being the second private company’s lander to successfully reach the Moon, and the first to achieve a stable, upright landing position. This contrasts with Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus lander, which tipped over upon landing in February 2024. Blue Ghost’s successful deployment of all its scientific instruments, particularly the drilling operation, marks a significant achievement for commercial lunar exploration. The $93.3 million mission demonstrates how private-public partnerships can advance space exploration more cost-effectively than traditional approaches.
