Firefly Aerospace said it received an additional $10 million from NASA after delivering extra scientific data and imagery collected during its Blue Ghost Mission 1 to the Moon earlier this year.
The mission, which spanned 45 days en route to the lunar surface and two weeks of operations on it, yielded nearly 120 gigabytes of information, according to the company.
The newly purchased data includes the first high-definition images of a solar eclipse and a sunset taken from the Moon, along with communications performance, propulsion metrics during descent and scientific payload readings that extended beyond the original scope.
The spacecraft also recorded wide-ranging temperature fluctuations, from 230 degrees Fahrenheit during peak lunar daytime to minus 275 degrees Fahrenheit during eclipse totality. Firefly said the lander withstood such extremes partly through “Operation Parasol,” a maneuver in which its antenna provided shade against heat.
The company noted that the data will aid research into the effects of reflected sunlight and lunar dust on spacecraft performance, both critical for long-term surface operations.
Firefly is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. In a separate award, the company secured a $176.7 million contract for a 2029 mission to the lunar south pole, which will also deploy a spacecraft into lunar orbit to enhance communications. Its next mission, Blue Ghost Mission 2, is scheduled to land on the far side of the Moon no earlier than next year.
