CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—A private U.S. spacecraft on its way to the moon has captured breathtaking images of Earth just one week into its journey.
Continuing to orbit Earth, the Firefly Aerospace lunar lander, named Blue Ghost, adjusted its trajectory on Thursday using its thrusters to begin its journey towards the moon, expected to take over a month. The spacecraft transmitted photos and videos of our planet, known as the Blue Marble, back to Earth. The Texas-based company shared these images on Friday.
Blue Ghost is carrying out experiments for NASA as part of the agency’s initiative to send astronauts back to the moon within this decade.
Launched alongside another lunar lander by SpaceX on January 15, Blue Ghost is scheduled to touch down on the moon on March 2. The second lander, sponsored by the Japanese company ispace, is taking a longer route and is expected to land in late May or early June.
This mission marks Firefly’s first venture to the moon, while ispace, based in Tokyo, is on its second attempt after its first lander crashed into the moon in 2023. The current lander, named Resilience, is still in orbit around Earth, executing maneuvers to approach the moon.
By Marcia Dunn
