Texas-based private aerospace firm Firefly Aerospace has unveiled a stunning image from the Moon’s surface, captured by its Blue Ghost lunar lander.
The image showcases the rare ‘diamond ring’ effect—a celestial phenomenon created when sunlight streams through lunar valleys during an eclipse.
Firefly Aerospace’s official X account posted the breathtaking photo on March 14, writing, “#BlueGhost got her first diamond ring! Captured at our landing site in the Moon’s Mare Crisium around 3:30 am CDT, the photo shows the sun about to emerge from totality behind Earth. Hope to have more shots to share soon! #BGM1.”
The image was taken in Mare Crisium, a vast lunar basin in the Moon’s northern hemisphere, where Blue Ghost successfully landed as part of its first mission, BGM1, on March 2.
The landing was a major milestone for the startup Firefly and the second by a commercial company after Houston-based Intuitive Machines Inc. landed a robotic spacecraft intact on the lunar surface in 2024, according to Bloomberg.
Also Read | First Moon image captured by Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost revealed
While Intuitive Machines lander tipped over during its touchdown, forcing an early end to the mission, Blue Ghost landed upright as intended. Firefly Aerospace has declared itself the “first company” to make a “fully successful” soft landing.
More about Blue Ghost
Named after a rare species of firefly, Blue Ghost is a compact yet sturdy four-legged lander designed for extra stability. It stands 6 feet 6 inches (2 meters) tall and 11 feet (3.5 meters) wide.
Launched from Florida in mid-January, the lander carried 10 NASA-funded experiments to the Moon.
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NASA invested $101 million for the delivery, plus an additional $44 million for the scientific instruments and technology on board.
This mission is the third under NASA’s commercial lunar delivery program, aimed at fostering a competitive lunar economy while paving the way for future astronaut missions later this decade, according to Associated Press.