Blue Ghost M2 (CLPS 7)

Blue Ghost M2 [Firefly]

Blue Ghost M2 is a lunar lander privately developed by Firefly to carry multiple payloads to the far side of the Moon including a satellite. The commercial lander will deliver two NASA payloads, as well as communication and data relay satellite for lunar orbit, which is an ESA (European Space Agency) collaboration with NASA.

NASA has chosen the following payloads for the second mission: The combined weight of the three payloads scheduled for delivery is anticipated to be around 494.5 kilograms. the following payloads:

• LuSEE-Night, the Lunar Surface Electromagnetics Experiment: A wayfinder to comprehend the radio environment of the Moon and perhaps get a glimpse of a previously unobserved period in the history of the universe. It will be the first time sensitive radio waves from the Dark Ages have been observed using deployable antennas and radio receivers. The University of California, Berkeley Space Science Laboratory, the DOE Brookhaven National Laboratory, and NASA's Science Mission Directorate are partners in the LuSEE-Night project. The Planetary Missions Program Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, oversees it on behalf of the space agency.
• Lunar Pathfinder: A communications and data relay satellite that will provide communication services to lunar missions via S-band and UHF links to lunar assets on the surface and in orbit around the Moon and an X-band link to Earth. ESA’s Lunar Pathfinder is designed and developed by Surrey Satellite Technology Limited. ESA collaborated with NASA for delivery through the CLPS initiative.
• User Terminal (UT): This payload will establish space heritage while establishing a new standard for S-Band Proximity-1 space communication protocol. It will be used to commission the Lunar Pathfinder and make sure it is prepared to serve LuSEE-Night with communications. It includes a network switch, an antenna, software-defined radio, and a sample data source. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory of NASA is creating UT in Southern California.

Blue Ghost M2 will be launched towards the moon in 2026 using a common Blue Ghost Transfer Vehicle with ESA's Lunar Pathfinder.