Blue Ghost spacecraft footage shows Earth ‘in the rearview mirror’ – Digital Trends

Firefly Aerospace has confirmed that all is well with its lunar-bound Blue Ghost spacecraft, which launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 15.In fact, things are going so smoothly that the mission team has been able to cancel a plan to perform a controlled adjustment to the flight path of the spacecraft as it makes its way to the moon.“The team confirmed Blue Ghost’s first trajectory correction maneuver was performed with such accuracy we are skipping the next one,” Texas-based Firefly said in a post on X on Tuesday. “With Earth in the rearview mirror, we’re on cruise control until we reach the moon’s orbit and perform a Lunar Orbit Insertion in just a couple days. So long, and thanks for all the fish!”Way to go #GhostRiders! The team confirmed Blue Ghost’s first trajectory correction maneuver was performed with such accuracy we are skipping the next one. With Earth in the rearview mirror, we’re on cruise control until we reach the Moon’s orbit and perform a Lunar Orbit… pic.twitter.com/8p6ywBWuH0— Firefly Aerospace (@Firefly_Space) February 11, 2025As you can see in the video above, Blue Ghost managed to capture some breathtaking footage of Earth from one of its onboard cameras, with sunlight creeping into the top of the shot toward the end of the clip.Blue Ghost Mission 1, also known as “Ghost Riders in the Sky,” is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, and is supporting the space agency’s Artemis campaign to establish a long-term human presence on the surface of our nearest neighbor.After 25 days in Earth orbit, the spacecraft is now heading toward the moon where it’ll spend 16 days in lunar orbit before landing on March 2. It’ll touch down near a volcanic feature called Mons Latreille within Mare Crisium, a large basin located in the northeast quadrant of the moon’s near side. After that, the lander will deploy 10 scientific investigations and technology demonstrations, beaming back data that should prove useful for future crewed missions.Speaking about Blue Ghost Mission 1 last month, Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly, said his team is now “fully focused on execution as we look to complete our on-orbit operations, softly touch down on the lunar surface, and pave the way for humanity’s return to the moon.”This week will feature a historic event as Firefly Aerospace launches its first mission to the moon. The Blue Ghost mission aims to put a lander on the moon carrying NASA science experiments, as part of NASA’s efforts to get private companies involved in lunar exploration. If the landing succeeds, it will be just the second soft lunar landing by a private company, following the Intuitive Machines Odyssey lander last year.Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost mission will launch late at night on Tuesday, January 14, or Wednesday, January 15. Using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the Blue Ghost will launch from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch will be liveistreamed by NASA, and you can watch it either on YouTube or by using the video embedded below:Previous Next SpaceX recently shared some stunning footage captured from the second stage of its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket.The clip (below) shows Earth from thousands of miles away, with ocean, land, and cloud all clearly visible. Most striking, however, is the planet’s marble-like appearance that brings to mind the iconic “blue marble” shot captured during the Apollo 17 mission in 1972 that gave us one of our first incredibly clear views of Earth.Upgrade your lifestyleDigital Trends helps readers keep tabs on the fast-paced world of tech with all the latest news, fun product reviews, insightful editorials, and one-of-a-kind sneak peeks.

Source: https://www.digitaltrends.com/space/blue-ghost-footage-shows-earth-in-rearview-mirror/