NASA to discuss Firefly’s first robotic Artemis moon flight – NASA

NASA will host a media teleconference on Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 1 p.m. EST, to discuss the agency’s science and technology aboard Firefly Aerospace’s first lunar mission as part of NASA’s CLPS.Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and the Artemis campaign.

Audio of the call will be streamed live on the agency’s website:

https://www.nasa.gov/live

Participants of the briefing include:

• Joel Kearns, Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters
• Ryan Watkins, Program Scientist, Exploration Science Strategy and Integration Office, NASA Headquarters
• Jason Kim, Chief Executive Officer, Firefly Aerospace

To participate by telephone, media must respond two hours prior to the briefing: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.

Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The six-day launch window opens no earlier than mid-January 2025.

A lunar mission has been named. Ghost Riders in the SkyMare Crisium will land near a volcanic feature called Mons Latreille, a basin more than 300 miles wide in the near-northeast quadrant of the Moon. The mission will carry 10 NASA instruments and first-of-its-kind demonstrations to further our understanding of the lunar environment and the lunar surface as part of the agency’s Moon-to-Mars exploration approach. Help prepare for future humanitarian missions.
Scientific investigations on the flight included excavation of the lunar subsurface, collection of regolith samples, global navigation satellite system capabilities, radiation-tolerant computing, and lunar dust reduction. The data obtained can also benefit humans on Earth by providing insight into how space weather and other cosmic forces affect Earth.

Under the CLPS model, NASA is investing in commercial lunar launch services to enable industry growth and support long-term lunar exploration. As a primary customer for CLPS deliveries, NASA is to be one of many customers on future flights.

For updates, follow:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/

Finally

Alice Fisher
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-2546
alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov

Wayne Scott/Natalia Revesk
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
wynn.b.scott@nasa.gov / nataila.s.riusech@nasa.gov

Antonia Jaramillo
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
321-867-2468
antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.gov