A private lunar spacecraft has just captured a breathtaking view of Earth

Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander - a private spacecraft contracted by NASA to carry experiments to the Moon - is currently orbiting the Earth and preparing for its first lunar landing attempt. The unmanned spacecraft has just captured an iconic portrait of Earth from space.

A special moment

"Blue Ghost" captured the view of Earth below during the second engine power-up. This is the first successful manoeuvre necessary to reach the Moon, some 385 000 kilometres away. 

The spacecraft will orbit the planet for another two weeks before performing a Trans Lunar Injection, a manoeuvre that will guide it towards the Moon.

When the flight controllers switched on the engines for the first time in space, it was an exciting moment for the small team of engineers working on the project.

"The moment we completed the manoeuvre was special for everyone. I don't think anyone believed what they were looking at in the first few seconds," said Engineering Manager Ryan Cole.

Over €2 billion invested. USD 2 million

"Blue Ghost is NASA's first commercial lunar cargo service mission this year. 

The programme has an investment of $2.6 billion. The program has received USD 2.6 billion in contracts with private sector suppliers to help bring instruments and critical data to the Moon.

The lander was one of two spacecraft on 15 January. "A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket would fly to the Moon. 

It was accompanied by Japan's Ispace Resilience lander, the company's second attempt to fly to the Moon after a failed attempt in 2023. Both spacecraft separated from the rocket later in the day after liftoff.

The Firefly spacecraft is carrying 10 experiments for the space agency. NASA wants to see regular missions to the Moon to prepare for astronaut-led Artemis expeditions in 2027 or later.

Landing on the Moon is difficult

Landing on the Moon remains challenging. The lunar exosphere offers little resistance to slow spacecraft as they approach Earth. 

In addition, there are no GPS systems on the Moon to guide the spacecraft to the landing site.

Once Blue Ghost begins its lunar trajectory, it will take four days to reach the Moon. The spacecraft will spend 16 days in lunar orbit before landing on the lunar surface. It is scheduled to land on 2 March.