Firefly Aerospace to Deliver Lunar Far Side Mission for NASA.
TL;DR
NASA has awarded Firefly Aerospace a $112 million contract to land payloads on the moon's far side using its Blue Ghost lander and send another into orbit to provide communications. The payloads include the Lunar Surface Electromagnetics Experiment-Night (LuSEE-Night) and User Terminal (UT). The European Space Agency's Lunar Pathfinder communications and navigation satellite will be launched first to relay signals between Earth and the payloads on the surface. This is the second Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) contract for Firefly, with the first mission launching in 2024.
- NASA selects Firefly Aerospace for mission to moon's far side in 2026 Space.com
- NASA awards Firefly Aerospace $112 million contract for far-side moon lander HT Tech
- Firefly wins NASA contract to set up communications on the dark side of the moon The Business Journals
- NASA Taps Firefly for Lunar Far Side Delivery Mission Gizmodo
- ‘Secret’ Austin-area aerospace company, awarded $112M contract by NASA KXAN.com
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