Simulation

Firefly Blue Ghost Lunar Lander; Technical Specs and Mission Overview

In-depth compilation of specs, timelines, and mission details for Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lunar lander, focusing on Mission 1 (M1), drawn from official sources, NASA documentation, and recent updates.

blue-ghostlunar-landerfirefly-aerospacenasa-clpspropulsionpayloads

Introduction

This research summary aggregates detailed technical data on Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander, primarily from Mission 1 (M1), to support accurate modeling and simulation efforts. As a proof-of-concept for Veenie Kits—custom interactive 3D physics simulations for space companies—this data informs the Blue Ghost lander demo available at https://veenie.space/sims/firefly-lander. These kits enable space firms to showcase missions with real-time, physics-based interactives, accelerating pitches, investor demos, and technical validations.

Mission Context
Blue Ghost is part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, marking Firefly as the first commercial entity to achieve a soft lunar landing in 2025.

The Blue Ghost Simulation: A Veenie Kit PoC

The interactive simulation at https://veenie.space/sims/firefly-lander replicates key phases of the Blue Ghost mission using a headless pilot-controller pattern. This architecture—also core to the Veenie Venus balloon sim—separates high-level mission commands (e.g., “initiate descent”) from low-level physics actuation (e.g., thruster firing). The main innovation lies in its portability: the same code can drive web visuals, AI training loops, or real hardware interfaces, enabling rapid prototyping for space missions. A key challenge was integrating variable-thrust propulsion and hazard avoidance logic while maintaining real-time performance in the browser, mirroring real-world constraints like thermal inertia and regolith interactions.

Mission Timeline and Key Dates

Blue Ghost Mission 1 (CLPS Task Order 19D) launched on January 15, 2025, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Kennedy Space Center (KSC), sharing the ride with ispace’s HAKUTO-R Mission 2 “Resilience” lander.

  • Pre-Launch Milestones:

    • April 2022: Integration Readiness Review completed.
    • May 2024: Nammo UK LEROS 4-ET engines delivered and integrated.
    • August 2024: Environmental testing at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
    • November 2024: Lander fully prepared; mid-January 2025 launch window announced.
    • December 16, 2024: Lander arrives at KSC for final inspections, propellant loading (MMH fuel and MON-3 oxidizer), and encapsulation.

  • Launch and Transit:

    • January 15, 2025 (06:11 UTC): Launch into lunar transfer orbit.
    • 25 days: Earth orbit loiter for trajectory alignment.
    • February 13, 2025: Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) burn (4 min 15 sec) enters elliptical lunar orbit.
    • 16 days: Orbital maneuvers to circularize and lower orbit.

  • Landing and Operations:

    • March 2, 2025 (08:45 UTC): Soft landing in Mare Crisium (18.562° N, 61.810° E, near Mons Latreille).
    • 14+ days: Surface operations, including payload activation and data collection.
    • March 16, 2025: End of mission due to battery depletion after lunar sunset.

  • Post-Mission: NASA and Firefly held a debrief conference on March 18, 2025, discussing outcomes and data returns.

The total mission duration was approximately 60 days from launch to power loss.

Blue Ghost Descent Graphic

Firefly Aerospace
Blue Ghost Mission 1 Live Updates
Firefly Aerospace Website
(2025)
https://fireflyspace.com/news/blue-ghost-mission-1-live-updates/

Physical Specifications

  • Dimensions: Height ~3.5 m (including landing legs), diameter ~1.5 m (body).
  • Mass:
    • Dry Mass: ~469 kg (1,034 lbs).
    • Wet Mass (Fully Fueled): ~1,500 kg (3,300 lbs).
    • Payload Capacity: Up to 155 kg to lunar surface; additional for lunar orbit.
  • Structure: 49 carbon composite struts for rigidity; overwrapped pressurant and propellant tanks (2 helium tanks, 4 propellant tanks).
  • Power System: Three solar panels (two sides, one top deck) providing up to 400 W and 1,470 hours of power generation during transit and surface ops.
  • Landing Gear: Four carbon composite legs with contact sensors for engine shutdown; designed for soft touchdown with regolith interaction mitigation.

Blue Ghost Payloads Diagram

Propulsion System

  • Propellants: Hypergolic bipropellant – Monomethylhydrazine (MMH) fuel and Mixed Oxides of Nitrogen (MON-3) oxidizer.
  • Main Engine: Nammo UK LEROS 4-ET bipropellant engine.
    • Thrust: >1,000 N (variable for descent control).
    • Specific Impulse (ISP): ~300-322 seconds (vacuum-optimized).
    • Used for: Lunar orbit insertion, major burns, and powered descent.
  • Reaction Control System (RCS): Eight Spectre thrusters (Firefly-developed).
    • Thrust per Thruster: ~70 N (pulsed for attitude control).
    • Propellants: Same MMH/MON-3 as main engine.
    • Role: Orientation maintenance, fine maneuvers, and soft landing support.
  • Total Delta-V Capability: Sufficient for Earth-to-Moon transit (~3-4 km/s), LOI, and descent (~2 km/s combined).
  • Burn Durations: LOI: 4 min 15 sec; Descent: Final hour with terrain-relative navigation.

The system draws heritage from Firefly’s Alpha rocket propulsion, emphasizing commonality for cost efficiency.

Propulsion Heritage
The RCS thrusters share lessons from Firefly's Reaver and Lightning engines, using RP-1/LOX tap-off cycle adaptations for hypergolic efficiency.
Firefly Aerospace
Blue Ghost Lunar Lander Datasheet
Firefly Aerospace
(2025)
https://satcatalog.s3.amazonaws.com/components/1105/SatCatalog_-_Firefly_Aerospace_-_Blue_Ghost_-_Datasheet.pdf

Subsystems and Avionics

  • Communications: One X-band antenna (high-rate data downlink) and three S-band antennas (command uplink/telemetry). Operated via Firefly’s Cedar Park mission control.
  • Navigation and Guidance: Vision-based terrain-relative navigation (TRN) and hazard avoidance; stereo photogrammetry for topography; inertial measurement units (IMUs) and star trackers.
  • Thermal Control: Multi-layer insulation (MLI); radiators for heat rejection during descent and surface ops.
  • Avionics: Radiation-tolerant computing; redundant systems for fault tolerance.
  • Landing Sensors: Contact sensors on legs; plume-surface interaction monitoring via onboard cameras.
  • Facilities: Built in Firefly’s 50,000 sq ft spacecraft facility with ISO-8 cleanroom; tested for launch/transit/landing loads.

Blue Ghost Success Criteria

Payloads and Instruments (Mission 1)

Blue Ghost M1 carried 10 NASA payloads (most ever on a CLPS lander) plus additional tech demos, totaling ~100 kg.

  • Scientific Instruments:

    • Lunar Magnetotelluric Sounder (LMS): Probes subsurface conductivity to study interior composition and thermal history.
    • Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies (SCALPSS 1.1): Captures regolith displacement during descent.
    • Lunar Instrumentation for Subsurface Thermal Exploration with Rapidity (LISTER): Measures heat flow from lunar interior.
    • Next Generation Lunar Retroreflectors (NGLR): Laser ranging array for geophysics.

  • Technology Demos:

    • Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS): Removes/regenerates lunar dust using electric fields; includes reduster tech.
    • Regolith Adherence Characterization (RAC): Tests dust adhesion to materials.
    • Radiation Tolerant Computing: Validates hardware in lunar radiation environment.
    • Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Demo: Tests lunar positioning.
    • Space Weather Instruments: Monitors radiation and plasma.

  • Other: Asgardian National Symbols (non-scientific payload).

Landing Site: Mare Crisium (Crisium Basin), selected for geological interest and payload relevance.

Blue Ghost Specs Overview

NASA
Firefly Aerospace CLPS Mission
NASA Website
(2025)
https://www.nasa.gov/commercial-lunar-payload-services/firefly-aerospace/

Orbits and Trajectory

  • Launch Orbit: Initial low Earth orbit (LEO) insertion via Falcon 9.
  • Transit: 25 days in Earth orbit for phasing; Trans-Lunar Injection (TLI) burn to lunar transfer orbit (4-day journey).
  • Lunar Orbits:
    • Initial: Elliptical (post-LOI).
    • Intermediate: 16 days of maneuvers to low lunar orbit (LLO, ~100 km circular).
    • Descent: Final hour from LLO to surface, with autonomous hazard avoidance.
  • Delta-V Budget: ~4-5 km/s total, optimized for Falcon 9 rideshare.

The trajectory emphasized efficiency, with loiter periods for alignment and science ops during transit.

Blue Ghost in Lunar Orbit

Implications for Future Missions

Blue Ghost’s success paved the way for annual flights, with Mission 2 (2026) adding Elytra orbital transfer vehicle and ESA’s Lunar Pathfinder. Mission 3 (2028-2029) targets south pole with rovers under a $176.7M NASA contract. The design’s modularity supports cislunar adaptations, emphasizing commercial viability in Artemis-era exploration.

This data not only enables precise simulations but highlights why interactive kits like Veenie’s are game-changers: They turn complex specs into engaging, testable experiences, helping space companies validate designs, pitch investors, and accelerate development.

Source Data:

  • Firefly Aerospace mission timelines and specs
  • NASA CLPS payload manifests
  • Wikipedia and spaceflight databases for cross-verification
  • Recent updates from 2025 mission operations

Referenced URLs