Firefly Aerospace has been awarded a substantial $179 million contract by NASA for lunar missions, marking its fourth collaboration with the agency.

The Gruithuisen Domes are significant for understanding ancient lava flows and lunar geology, particularly how these features formed without Earth's geological processes.

The mission aims to investigate the formation of the Gruithuisen Domes, which contain rocks resembling silica-rich magma, akin to granite found on Earth.

As part of this contract, Firefly's first Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) mission is set to launch no earlier than January 2025, with a lunar landing planned for 2026.

Firefly's CEO emphasized the advantages of having a production line for landers, which allows for iterative improvements based on lessons learned from previous missions.

This mission is integral to NASA's Artemis program, focusing on studying ancient volcanic activity in the Gruithuisen Domes region of the Moon.

Key scientific instruments for the mission include the Lunar Vulkan Imaging and Spectroscopy Explorer, a flexible Heimdall camera system, and a robotic arm for lunar regolith sampling.

Upon arrival, the Blue Ghost lander will conduct geological analyses using a science payload weighing approximately 215 pounds, which includes a neutron spectrometer and the Vulkan Explorer.

The CLPS program has faced challenges, with previous missions encountering significant issues, highlighting the complexities of lunar exploration.

Future missions will utilize Firefly's Elytra Dark as an orbital transfer vehicle, ensuring continuous communications support while in lunar orbit.

Following the initial mission, Blue Ghost 2 is scheduled to land on the lunar farside in 2026, deploying ESA's Lunar Pathfinder communications satellite.

Looking ahead, Firefly has been selected for a third lunar lander mission, set to launch in 2028, which will include a rover for enhanced exploration.