Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander captured a stunning lunar sunset in 4K on March 16. These images were captured by different cameras on the lander at various angles and then stitched together afterwards into the footage you’re about to see.
Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander captured this incredible image of a diamond ring effect during the total solar eclipse on the Moon. This also marks the very first time in history where a commercial company actively operating on the Moon was able to observe a total solar eclipse where the Earth blocks the sun and casts a shadow on the lunar surface.
Intuitive Machines IM-2 mission is currently deemed lost, as its lunar lander, Athena, touched down on the Moon, but appears to be on its side. However, it still managed to transmit a few images of the surface before the team was able to figure out the status of its ice drill, drone and two rovers for NASA.
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost captured a stunning up-close view of the Moon’s surface during its most recent flyby. The spacecraft performed a 16-second burn with its RCS thrusters to enter a near-circular low lunar orbit.
NASA is currently testing an unpressurized LTV (Lunar Terrain Vehicle), known as the Ground Test Unit, at Johnson Space Center in Houston. This rover features a flexible architecture that simulates various rover concepts for use beginning with Artemis V.
Photo credit: Fangzheng Liu
MIT researchers partnered with Castrol to develop AstroAnt, a tiny robot designed to sit atop the lunar rover and gather data. These versatile miniature swarm robots can be used to perform inspections and diagnostic tasks on external surfaces of spacecraft, rovers, and landers.