Private spacecraft Blue Ghost lands on Moon

[Copper]

Private spacecraft Blue Ghost lands on Moon

A private spacecraft has landed on the Moon, becoming only the second commercial vehicle to reach the lunar surface.

Blue Ghost left Earth on January 15, after being launched by US firm Firefly Aerospace with the intention of exploring the Sea of Crises, a huge crater visible from Earth.

The project is the latest collaboration by US space agency Nasa and private companies.

Intuitive Machines, another firm, is hoping to land its Athena spacecraft near the Moon's south pole in the next few days.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd9208qv1kzo

[Copper]

Shadow on the moon, Earth in the distance

[89th]

Great pic.

Here's the landing (no actual video... I want my 4K live stream for the Artemis II landing btw!!!)

Starts around the 1 hour 20 minute mark...

Link to video

[kluurs]

Musk will need to cut that contract.

[89th]

Hey, high def video! The actual landing is around the 1:18 mark.

Link to video

[taiwan_girl]

Very cool!!!

[taiwan_girl]

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/moon-landing-private-spacecraft-second-time-week-rcna194919

For the second time in less than a week, a privately built U.S. spacecraft will attempt to land on the moon.

The robotic lander, dubbed Athena, was developed by the Texas-based company Intuitive Machines. It launched into space on Feb. 26 and has spent the past week journeying to the moon.

At roughly the size of a dishwasher, the six-legged craft aims to touch down at a site in the moon’s south polar region, then spend a week looking for the possible presence of water ice below the lunar surface.

The landing is scheduled for Thursday at 12:32 p.m. ET. NASA TV will broadcast a live stream of the event beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET.

Less than one hour away.

https://plus.nasa.gov/scheduled-video/intuitive-machines-2-lunar-landing/