Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander, launched to the moon on January 15, took unique images of the Earth's eclipse from space. This is reported by Gizmodo, according to UNN.
Details
According to media reports, Firefly's Blue Ghost lander began its journey to the moon a little over a week ago, and the mission has already transmitted stellar images from space. In addition to checking off a list of critical milestones, Blue Ghost also took a classic photo of the Earth and captured a brief moment of darkness when the Earth eclipsed the Sun.
Blue Ghost was launched on January 15 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of the Ghost Riders in the Sky mission. The vehicle will stay in space for 45 days before attempting a soft landing on the lunar surface.
Shortly after the launch, the spacecraft took its first image from space, showing its upper deck, X-band antennas and NASA's LEXI payload.
Six of Blue Ghost's scientific instruments are already transmitting data to Earth, while one payload, LuGRE, has begun its scientific operations, according to a statement from Firefly.
"Developed by the Italian Space Agency, LuGRE monitors signals from GPS and Galileo satellites during our transit from Earth to the Moon to verify signal reception and use along the way," the company wrote.
On January 18, the Firefly team conducted the first launch of the Blue Ghost engine, firing the lander's engines and main thrusters in space for the first time. Turning on the engine brought the spacecraft closer to Earth in preparation for future maneuvers.
While orbiting the Earth, Blue Ghost recorded a rare phenomenon - the moment when the Earth briefly blocked sunlight, creating a spectacular eclipse.
Blue Ghost will stay in Earth orbit for 25 days, after which it will start its engines to move to a trajectory to the Moon. Blue Ghost will spend four days on its way to the Moon and another 16 days in Earth's orbit before attempting to land on its surface.
Recall
Earlier UNN wrote, the launch of the Alpha rocket by Firefly Aerospace did not reach the planned orbit, but the mission continues with established communication.
