Tech Desk 
Mar 03, 2025
In a development which has shaken the realm of aerospace exploration in the US, FireFly Aerospace's Blus Ghost Mission 1 on Sunday successfully landed upright on the Moon.
With an exceptionally well-positioned Moon Landing, Blue Ghost became the first-ever private US spacecraft to land upright on the Moon, with Firefly becoming the second private US project to have bagged such a remarkable feat.
The landing was recorded shortly after 3:34am (EST) near Mons Latreille, a volcanic formation in Mare Crisium located on the Moon’s northeastern side, The News reported.
“Y’all stuck the landing, we’re on the Moon,” exclaimed an engineer at mission control in Austin, Texas, after the Blue Ghost crew began cheering following their smooth landing.
Firefl CEO Jason Kim noted that the spacecraft landed “stable and upright”, ditching the manner in which the aerospace firm's first private landing in February 2024 was executed: sideways.
“We’re on the Moon!” Nicky Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said.
The first images shared from the spacecraft showed a rocky, pockmarked site, which it autonomously manoeuvred to choose a befitting landing spot after slowing down to just two miles per hour (mph) from its previous speed of thousands of mph.
