NASA’s Blue Ghost lander has revealed a close-up image of the moon as it sends incredible imagery back from its space mission.
The spaceship left Earth on January 15, and has since provided breathtaking footage of the Earth distantly rising and setting behind the curve of the Moon.
The timelapse was taken on February 18 while the spacecraft was on its second orbit around the lunar surface, capturing the view of the world from about 75 miles (120 km) away.
Blue Ghost has now circumnavigated the Moon three times ahead of its operator, Firefly Aerospace, preparing for touchdown on March 2.
Writing on the social media platform X, the operator wrote: “Earth rise, Earth set, repeat!”
The mission of the Blue Ghost is a part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. The lander was launched from the Kennedy Space center in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
10 NASA science investigations and technology demonstrations are on board for the CLPS with the aim of recording data on the Moon, as well as experimental GPS tracking systems.
Blue Ghost travelled roughly 238,855 miles (384,400 km) over a weeks-long journey before entering orbit on February 13 where it was scheduled to wait for 16 days.
While on its way, the lander took jaw-dropping footage of Earth rising and setting as it faded away into just a dot in the distance.
Besides capturing images, Blue Ghost has been completing engine burns to lower its orbit and bring it closer to the lunar satellite. February 18 saw the lander complete a three-minute 18 second burn to tighten its orbit.
Doing so allowed for the lander to record a flyby of the Moon on the side usually hidden by Earth.
After finishing its third and final lunar orbit on Monday, the Blue Ghost will now, before a 16-second burn enter an even lower circumnavigation. Once the lander falls 62 miles (100km) away from the surface, it will fire its engine for 19 seconds, dropping its path down to land.
The spacecraft is expected to land on the eastern side of the Moon, facing Earth. It will use scientific payloads to gather information about the lunar satellite, including a study into “dust levitation,” where dust appears to float above the surface.
Blue Ghost is scheduled to operate for 14 days until the Moon is shadowed, plunging the lander into freezing temperatures as low as -130C. This is expected to damage the lander’s electronics, as there will be no light to charge its batteries, putting an end to the groundbreaking mission.
