Historic Moon Landing by Private Company

The American company Firefly Aerospace became the second private company in the world to successfully land a spacecraft on the moon on Sunday. The Blue Ghost Mission 1 robot arrived on Earth's natural satellite at 08:34 GMT, near Mons Latreille, a volcanic formation located in Mare Crisium, on the northeastern side of the moon. The historic moment was broadcast live, and at the mission control center in Austin, Texas, engineers burst into applause upon confirmation of the landing. "We are on the moon!" exclaimed a team member, emphasizing the success of the operation.

• A new stage in space exploration

The Blue Ghost Mission 1 landing marks an important step for the private aerospace industry and for collaboration with NASA. The mission lasted 45 days and included a series of complex maneuvers before reaching the lunar surface. The spacecraft carries several NASA scientific instruments, including a drill to analyze lunar soil temperatures and a camera designed to study lunar dust. "This mission will help us better understand the structure and thermal properties of the Moon's interior," a NASA official explained before launch. Firefly Aerospace estimates that the robot will operate for 14 Earth days, during which time it will also capture astronomical phenomena such as a lunar sunset and a total lunar eclipse.

• A tight race in lunar exploration

Firefly Aerospace's success comes at a time of intense activity in lunar exploration. On Thursday, another space robot operated by NASA is set to attempt a similar landing. These two missions, launched just days apart, confirm the increasingly important role of the private sector in space exploration. The Blue Ghost landing is one of the first by a private American company in more than 50 years since the Apollo program, demonstrating the technological progress and commercial ambitions of the aerospace industry.

• What's next?

Over the next period, the spacecraft's instruments will collect essential data about the lunar environment. NASA and its private partners continue to strengthen their plans for future manned missions, including the Artemis program, which aims to send astronauts to the Moon in the coming years. Firefly Aerospace's success highlights the potential of new players in the aerospace industry and brings a new dimension to the global competition for lunar exploration.