Firefly Aerospace Moves Blue Ghost To NASA Facility To Conduct Environmental Trial

Blue Ghost transferred to NASA's JPL (photo: dock. Firefly Aerospace)

JAKARTA Firefly Aerospace, a space transportation provider, has completed the construction of the Blue Ghost. This spacecraft has arrived at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) on Monday, August 26. While on JPL, Blue Ghost will carry out environmental testing consisting of vibrational testing stages, acoustic, thermal vacuum, and electromagnetic interference as well as compatibility. If testing is successful, Blue Ghost will be moved to Cape Canaveral. This place will be the launch site of Blue Ghost, called Ghost Rider's in the Sky mission. This landing site is expected to launch in the fourth quarter of this year through NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. Peter Schumacher, CEO of the Firefly Aerospace, said that the testing stage in JPL will be carried out by technicians from his company. Firefly will ensure that the entire Blue Ghost component is ready for use. "The extensive environmental testing that we will complete at the JPL combined with the strong tests we have completed internally will further reduce our risk and prepare us for a smooth and successful landing," said Peter. Meanwhile, Vice President of Space Firefly Aerospace Jana Spruce said that this launch will set new standards in the space sector. Jana also revealed that the company is ready to carry out the final test.

"We are more than ready for this final test. We will have a dedicated Firefly team with the landing vehicle at every step as the Blue Ghost travels from Texas to California to Florida ahead of this historic journey to the Moon," Jana said. Blue Ghost is integrated with ten payloads consisting of scientific instruments and technology for demonstrations. When launched on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, the aircraft will be in Earth orbit for about a month and in lunar orbit for about two weeks. After that, this spacecraft will make a landing on the Moon to begin its exploration mission. During the lunar approach process, the Blue Ghost team will carry out health checks on the sub-system and start payload operations. This drone is targeted to land at a basin called Mare Crisium. This basin is on the near side of the Moon. If the landing is successful, the entire payload will be distributed and operational for one lunar day or equivalent to two weeks on Earth.