Excitement abounds as Firefly Aerospace achieves a historic lunar landing in a suspenseful turn of events.

      The moon has welcomed a new visitor, as Firefly Aerospace has made history by becoming the first private company to achieve a fully successful landing on the moon. The Blue Ghost lander arrived at the moon’s surface at 3:34 a.m. ET on Sunday, March 2, executing a soft landing and coming to rest safely and upright while carrying a payload of scientific experiments and technology tests.

      Landing on the crater-ridden surface of the moon posed significant challenges, and the "frankly terrifying" landing sequence was conducted autonomously. The lander modified its trajectory and selected a safe landing location using a downward-facing camera and software known as terrain relative navigation. This technology enables the lander’s onboard computer to accurately determine its location and speed, as well as identify potential obstacles like boulders and craters.

      According to a team member who spoke with Digital Trends, the Firefly team was anxious about the landing right up to the last moment, and even after the landing was successful, they are focused on the upcoming challenges:

      “The fretting never goes away,” remarked Kevin Scholtes, Firefly’s Future Systems Architect. “If anything, we’re always just preparing for the next big adventure. Our goal is to leave the future brighter than we found it, which means constantly worrying about the details.”

      As the lander completed its safe descent, cheers erupted in the Firefly control room in Austin, Texas. “We’re on the moon!” announced NASA’s Nicky Fox, Associate Administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, to the audience's delight during a landing event.

      The lander settled in a region known as Mare Crisium, where it will remain to gather data for the next two weeks. Its payload includes experiments from NASA, which supported the landing through its Commercial Lunar Payload Services program designed to utilize private companies for transporting vital supplies to the moon.

      Among the on-board experiments are a drill and sample collection system, a test of dust-repellent technology critical for managing the sharp, glass-like dust that blankets the moon’s surface, and instruments to study how solar winds interact with Earth’s magnetic field.

      Firefly also shared the first image taken of the moon’s surface by the lander:

      First image taken by the Blue Ghost lander on the moon’s surface. Firefly Aerospace

      This initial image is of low quality, capturing a portion of the lander and the lunar surface. However, high-quality images with clearer views are expected to be released today as Firefly begins testing the instruments on the Blue Ghost and launches its operations—so stay tuned for updates.

      “Firefly is literally and figuratively over the Moon,” stated Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly Aerospace. “Our Blue Ghost lunar lander now has a permanent position on the lunar surface with 10 NASA payloads and a plaque bearing the names of every Firefly employee. This bold, unstoppable team has demonstrated our ability to provide reliable, affordable access to the Moon, and we are just getting started. With annual lunar missions, Firefly is laying the groundwork for a sustainable lunar presence that will open pathways to the rest of the solar system for our nation, partners, and the world.”