After launching aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 15, Firefly Aerospaces moon-bound Blue Ghost spacecraft has been orbiting Earth ahead of a trans-lunar injection maneuver in just under a weeks time.From its current location way above Earth, its been beaming back some incredible footage over the last couple of weeks, including this clip of our own planet shared on social media on Monday.Recommended VideosT-5 days until Blue Ghost says goodbye to Earth! With the accuracy we achieved on our first two burns, we were able to skip the third Earth orbit maneuver. Blue Ghost is already in a good position to perform our trans-lunar injection in just under a week. Our #GhostRiders pic.twitter.com/lMHpr8ix14 Firefly Aerospace (@Firefly_Space) February 3, 2025Please enable Javascript to view this contentAs you can see from Fireflys post, Blue Ghost is gearing up to continue its journey to the moon, where it will remain in a lunar orbit for 16 days before attempting a landing on March 2. The entire mission is expected to last close to 60 days, including about 45 days traveling time, and 14 days of operations on the lunar surface.Fireflys Blue Ghost Mission 1 a part of NASAs Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, and aims to deliver 10 scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to support future human exploration of the moon under the Artemis program.The Blue Ghost lander, which is about 2 meters tall and 3.5 meters wide, will touch down near a volcanic feature called Mons Latreille within Mare Crisium, a 500-kilometer-wide basin on the moons near side, delivering 94 kilograms (207 pounds) of payloads to the lunar surface.Scientific objectives include analysis of lunar regolith properties, investigation of the interactions between solar wind and Earths magnetic field, the evaluation of long-distance Global Navigation Satellite System capabilities, and assessment of radiation-tolerant computing, among other activities.This mission embodies the bold spirit of NASAs Artemis campaign a campaign driven by scientific exploration and discovery, NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy said when Blue Ghost left Earth last month. Each flight were a part of is a vital step in the larger blueprint to establish a responsible, sustained human presence at the moon, Mars, and beyond. Each scientific instrument and technology demonstration brings us closer to realizing our vision.Reaching the moon is no easy feat, with Americas Peregrine lunar lander suffering a catastrophic glitch on its way there in a mission last year, and Japans HAKUTO-R Mission 1 failing in the final moments before touchdown.This is Fireflys first attempt to land on the moon. Fingers crossed that it nails it.Editors Recommendations