NASA's Blue Ghost spaceship reveals stunning close-up of the Moon

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The NASA Blue Ghost lander has been transmitting some breathtaking images of space.

Now, the self-driving lander has captured a truly breathtaking view as it records a distinctive close-up of the moon.

In a remarkable video, you can see the distant Earth emerging and disappearing behind the curve of the lunar surface.

Captured on February 18, the timelapse shows a breathtaking view from the Blue Ghost lander as it completed its second orbit, at a distance of approximately 75 miles (120 kilometers) away.

After completing three orbits around the moon, the lander's operator, Firefly Aerospace, a US private company, is making the final preparations for a landing on March 2.

The firefly Aerospace company wrote: 'Earth rise, Earth set, repeat!'

Meanwhile, on social media, space enthusiasts have been amazed by the stunning view of our lunar satellite, with its remarkable mosaic of deep craters.

One commenter exclaimed: 'What a fantastic era to be living in! The Moon is up close again!'

The robotic Blue Ghost lunar lander was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

The Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.

This includes equipment to collect data on the lunar surface and experimental GPS tracking systems.

Over a one-week period, the lander traveled approximately 384,400 kilometers and entered lunar orbit on February 13, where it was set to wait for 16 days.

As it flew by, the Blue Ghost spacecraft captured stunning photographs of Earth, shrinking into a small, pale speck in the distance.

While in orbit around the moon, Blue Ghost has been conducting a series of engine firings to refine its orbit to a tighter configuration.

On February 18, the lander executed a three-minute and 18-second burn to maneuver itself into a notably lower elliptical orbit around the moon.

Immediately after descending, Blue Ghost captured a flyby of the far side of the moon, which is normally obscured from view on Earth, at an altitude of merely 75 miles (120km).

Although it is commonly referred to as the 'dark side' of the moon because it is always hidden from our planet's view, this side actually receives the same amount of sunlight as the side we can see from Earth.

On social media, numerous commenters quickly took to expressing their admiration and astonishment.

'Wishing them luck with one small landing, one giant leap', one commentator wrote on X.

One person exclaimed: 'This is the most amazing thing I've seen in weeks', and another enthusiastic user responded: 'This video is now my absolute favorite'.

Certain conspiracy theorists have expressed skepticism about the authenticity of the footage.

One conspiracy theorist wrote: 'What a joke. You have to be a serious sheep to think this is real footage. It's hilarious'.

"It appears to resemble an inexpensive plastic model of the moon," one commenter noted.

They claimed: 'If you believe this, you're not thinking critically. Good luck.'

The Blue Ghost has completed its third and final orbit around the moon as of Monday and is now preparing for its final maneuvers.

The lander will then conduct a 16-second burn to enter a very low and nearly circular orbit around the moon.

Finally, once the spacecraft descends to an altitude of 62 miles (100km) above the surface, it will fire its engines for 19 seconds to alter its trajectory and guide it to the landing site.

Blue Ghost is expected to touch down on the eastern edge of the moon's Earth-facing side near an ancient volcanic feature called Mons Latreille in the 483-kilometer-wide Mare Crisium, also known as the 'Sea of Crisises'.

From there, it will utilize its scientific payloads to collect data about the moon.

This involves utilizing a lunar sunset to investigate a phenomenon known as 'dust levitation', in which dust appears to hover above the surface.

over 50 years ago.

Blue Ghost will then operate for 14 Earth days until the near side of the moon enters into shadow, causing the lander to plunge into the freezing lunar night.

Temperatures as low as -130 degrees Celsius and the lack of light to recharge the batteries will likely cause the lander's electronics to fail and terminate the mission.

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