The American-Ukrainian company of Ukrainian businessman Max Polyakov Firefly Aerospace has signed a contract with SpaceX to deliver its Blue Ghost lunar apparatus to the lunar surface in 2023. This was reported to AIN.UA by Firefly Aerospace.
Firefly Aerospace had signed a contract with NASA for $ 93 million under the Artemis program in February 2021. The agency will allocate $ 93.3 million for the delivery of scientific and technological equipment to the Moon in 2023. The task of Firefly will be to deliver cargo (mainly scientific equipment) to the Sea of Crises - the formation of lunar relief on the visible side of the Moon. This equipment will be used to study resources and conditions on the lunar surface. This data is important for future lunar missions involving humans.
The Blue Ghost lander, named after the rare firefly beetles Phausis reticulata, will participate in the delivery of the cargo: it will land in the Sea of Crises, delivering about 150 kg of cargo to the lunar surface. Since signing the contract, a team of engineers has been developing and testing the module itself and the navigation system. Work is taking place at the Firefly plant in Texas, USA.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 launch vehicle will have to carry the module to the lunar orbit.
“The Blue Ghost mission will include the delivery of NASA cargo that will be needed for scientific research on the Moon and for the permanent presence of humans on the Moon during the Artemis program. We are proud to have chosen the Falcon 9 for this honor, ”said Tom Ochinero, Vice President of Commercial Sales for SpaceX.
“This is a highly important mission, the best minds and the most legendary companies in the field of space are working on it. Such cooperation is of great importance for the further development of all mankind, ”said the main investor at Firefly Aerospace, Max Polyakov.
