An incredible recovery of the hidden face of the moon, captured by just 100 kilometers away, gave spectacular images thanks to the Firefly Aerospace Lander Blue Ghost. The spatial vehicle of the US company is preparing for its awaited habitation, scheduled for Sunday 2 March at 9:34 (Italian time).
On board the mission there is also a piece of Italy: the receiver Lugre (Lunar Gnss Receiver Experiment), the first Italian tool intended for the lunar surface. The result of the collaboration between the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and NASA, Luglie will test the effectiveness of the signals of the GNSS GNSS system for navigation, positioning and synchronization on the moon.
In addition to Lugre, the Lander transports nine other scientific and technological tools of NASA. The Alunaggio website is located in the visible face of the moon, inside the large Basin of impact Mare crisis. The mission is part of NASA’s commercial program Lunar Payload Services, which aims to collect data and test technologies in view of the future human missions of the Artemis program.
After two months of travel and three weeks in lunar orbit, Blue Ghost will begin his descent to the surface on March 2 at 8:30 (Italian time). All the phases will be monitored not only by NASA control centers, but also by Qascom, a company based in Bassano del Grappa, and by the Polytechnic of Turin, both involved in the development of Lugre. The wing will take place through a descent controlled by the engines, with a maneuver lasting about 63 minutes.
Once you reach the lunar soil, Blue Ghost will remain operational for a lunar day, equivalent to 14 terrestrial days. During this period it will observe an eclipse of the sun caused by the passage of the earth and a lunar sunset. About three hours after the touchdown, Luglie will be activated. The antenna of the device, fixed on the top bridge of the Lander, will be automatically raised and oriented towards the Earth to capture the weak GPS and Galileo signals, essential for tests on satellite navigation in deep space.
Blue Ghost is not the only Lander traveling to the moon. Athena, of the Texana Intivi Machines company, are also expected in the next few days, which will attempt the wing on March 6, and Resilience of the Japanese ISPACE, which will reach the lunar orbit between the end of May and the beginning of June. A new chapter of space exploration has just begun.
