Firefly Aerospace announced it has been awarded a $10 million addendum to its existing NASA contract under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. According to the company, the additional funding will support the collection and delivery of expanded scientific and operational data from the company’s Blue Ghost Mission 1, which became the first commercial mission to achieve a successful lunar landing.

Firefly noted that over the 60-day mission, the spacecraft collected nearly 120 gigabytes of data, including images and telemetry from both the lunar transit and surface operations. The expanded dataset includes high-definition images of a solar eclipse and a lunar sunset, as well as communications data from the lander’s S-band and X-band antennas, propulsion data from Firefly’s Spectre thrusters during critical burns and final descent, and lander performance metrics. Temperature readings captured during a 500°F swing on the Moon — from 230°F at lunar noon to -275°F during a five-hour solar eclipse — are also part of the data package.

Will Coogan, Chief Engineer for Blue Ghost at Firefly Aerospace, stated that the extended duration of the mission allowed the team to collect unprecedented data during various lunar events. He added that these insights will help prepare for future robotic and human missions, including those supporting NASA’s Artemis program.

Firefly Aerospace, a space and defense technology company, focuses on enabling government and commercial customers to launch, land, and operate in space. The company is noted for its responsive space missions and has achieved milestones such as being the first commercial entity to land successfully on the Moon.