NASA has delayed its Artemis II crewed lunar mission due to technical issues encountered during a 'wet dress rehearsal' at Kennedy Space Center. The agency is now targeting early March for the launch, with an additional window on March 11 and further options in April if needed.
Firefly Aerospace successfully completed its first commercial Moon landing, Blue Ghost Mission 1, after performing over 14 days of surface operations on the lunar surface. The mission, which began on March 2, saw all 10 NASA CLPS instruments operate as planned, collecting over 119 GB of data.
Firefly Aerospace has completed the development and assembly of its Blue Ghost lander structure and fluid systems, a critical milestone for its first lunar mission slated to launch in 2024 under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. The company's Texas-based spacecraft facility played a key role in this achievement.
Firefly Aerospace has announced an agreement with Klepsydra Technologies to demonstrate edge computing in space. The partnership will utilize Firefly's Elytra vehicle as an on-orbit edge computing platform for hosted software applications.
Firefly Aerospace has added former NASA Administrator James Bridenstine to its Advisory Board, effective immediately. Bridenstine joins the company amid recent success in its Alpha rocket program and upcoming lunar missions.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk announced that the company has shifted its focus from Mars to building a self-growing city on the Moon, citing ease of access and speed as reasons for the change. This move comes after years of ambition to return US astronauts to the Moon and establish a foundation for a human mission to Mars.