--- title: "Lunar Lander Starts Drilling Into the Moon, Sparks Flying" description: "Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lunar lander is wasting no time and is already drilling into the dusty regolith to study the Moon's geology." date: "2025-03-12" modified: "2025-03-12" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/lunar-lander-starts-drilling-moon" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Moon" - "Space" tags: - "blue ghost" - "firefly aerospace" - "lunar lander" - "moon" - "NASA" --- # Lunar Lander Starts Drilling Into the Moon, Sparks Flying ![Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lunar lander is wasting no time and is already drilling into the dusty regolith to study the Moon's geology.]() *\Image: Firefly Aerospace\* While Intuitive Machines' Athena lander [quickly met its demise]() after awkwardly stumbling and ending up on its side, Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost spacecraft, which [touched down just a few days earlier](), is leaping into action. After sending back a [stunning image]() of the Sun rising in the distant horizon, the lander wasted no time and kicked off its Subsurface Thermal Exploration with Rapidity (LISTER) experiment. The goal is to drill into the lunar surface within the Mare Crisium, a massive basin in the northeastern part of the Moon's near side, in hopes of better understanding the geology of the Earth's natural satellite. In a [video]() shared this week, the robot's pneumatic drill can be seen plowing through the rocky lunar surface, sending sparks and pieces of rubble flying. While it's far from the first mission to drill into the lunar surface — astronauts used a [drill during NASA's Apollo 15 mission]() over half a century ago — it's an exciting kick-off to what's bound to be a flurry of activity on the lunar surface. As of [right now](), NASA's still looking to [land the first astronauts]() on the Moon in a matter of years — and the scientific research being done as we speak could contribute to that goal. https://twitter.com/Firefly_Space/status/1899189419996766306 The aim of Blue Ghost's drilling is to measure the "temperature and flow of heat from the Moon’s interior," according [to the company](). By studying the thermal conductivity of the various layers of the lunar surface, scientists are hoping to glean insights into how the Moon formed and cooled over billions of years. The probe was jointly developed by researchers from Texas Tech University and the California-based startup Honeybee Robotics under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. They're hoping to drill down to a depth of just shy of ten feet into the dusty regolith, as NASA explained in a [December blog post](). Every 1.6 feet, it will measure the heat flow and thermal conductivity of its surroundings using a custom-built thermal probe. "By making similar measurements at multiple locations on the lunar surface, we can reconstruct the thermal evolution of the Moon," said principal investigator and Texas Tech geophysics professor Seiichi Nagihara in a NASA statement. "That will permit scientists to retrace the geological processes that shaped the Moon from its start as a ball of molten rock, which gradually cooled off by releasing its internal heat into space." The space agency is hoping to use the data to assist during its upcoming Artemis missions to the lunar surface and eventually develop a sustainable presence there. Blue Ghost is also outfitted with nine other NASA payloads, including "active dust mitigation technology that uses electric fields to move and prevent hazardous lunar dust accumulation on surfaces," and an experiment to study "how lunar regolith sticks to a range of materials exposed to the Moon’s environment throughout the lunar day," according to the agency. On Wednesday, Blue Ghost is trying to stay cool during the "lunar noontime heat," per Firefly. But as temperatures plummet, Blue Ghost is preparing to ramp up to "full power again soon." **More on the lander:** *[Amazing Video Shows Spacecraft Touching Down on Surface of Moon]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()