NSSDCA ID: BLUEGHOST
Blue Ghost Mission 1 (TO 19D) is a lunar lander designed to deliver ten payloads to the lunar surface in 2024. The objectives of the mission are to investigate heat flow from the lunar interior, plume-surface interactions, crustal electric and magnetic fields. It will also take X-ray images of the Earth's magnetosphere. Technology tests in include regolith sampling, regolith adherence, Global Navigation Satellite System abilities, radiation tolerant computing, and dust mitigation using electrodynamic fields. Blue Ghost Mission 1 was selected through NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, in which NASA contracts with a commercial partner, in this case Firefly Aerospace, that provides the launch and lander.
The Blue Ghost lander consists of a box-shaped structural framework and four landing legs. It has two decks for mounting equipment and 155 kg of payload capacity. Power is provided by solar panels that can be mounted on the sides of the spacecraft or deployed so they can be protruding above the top deck, depending on the orientation of the spacecraft and the Sun. The arrays provide 450 W nominal power and a peak of 650 W. Thermal control is obtained using heat pipes, radiators, multi-layer insulation, and active heaters. Communications at the surface allow 6 Mbps downlink average, 10 Mbps peak, and 0.2 kbps uplink average, 2 kbps peak. It will be carrying ten payloads to the surface.
Launch is planned for 2024. Blue Ghost will land in Mare Crisium on the Moon and conduct surface operations through one lunar day and for some time after sunset.
For more on NASA's CLPS initiative and missions, see:
https://science.nasa.gov/lunar-discovery/deliveries
Image credit: Firefly Aerospace
Launch Date:
Launch Vehicle:
Launch Site: , United States
Nominal Power: 450 W
Questions and comments about this spacecraft can be directed to: Dr. David R. Williams
Name | Role | Original Affiliation | |
---|---|---|---|
Dr. Maria E Banks | Project Scientist | NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | maria.e.banks@nasa.gov |