Blue Ghost left Earth on 15 January, with the intention of exploring the Sea of Crises, and is the latest collaboration between US space agency Nasa and private companies.

Landing a spacecraft on the moon has long been a series of hits and misses. Last year, a spacecraft built by Intuitive Machines through a NASA-sponsored program put the U.S. back on the moon for the first time since the end of the Apollo program,

Intuitive Machines looks to park its Athena lunar lander on the moon’s south pole on Thursday on a mission with NASA payloads.

This photo provided by NASA shows the Intuitive Machines' Athena lander approaching the surface of the moon on Thursday, March 6, 2025. (NASA via AP)

Private space company Intuitive Machines is preparing for its second Moon landing, with the Athena lander scheduled to touch down tomorrow, March 6.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A private lunar lander is no longer working after landing sideways in a crater near the moon’s south pole and its mission is over, officials said Friday. The news came less than 24 hours after the botched landing attempt by Texas-based Intuitive Machines.

President Trump set the U.S. on a path to sending astronauts back to the lunar surface during his first term. Lately he has expressed more interest in Mars.

NASA Friday rolled out the new Artemis II Orion spacecraft and twin Space Launch System solid rocket boosters that will carry astronauts in the first crewed Artemis mission around the moon.

Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar spacecraft landed upright on the Moon–a first for a private company–and released amazing HD video of the moment.

Blue Ghost successfully landed on the moon on Sunday (March 2), touching down in Mare Crisium ("Sea of Crises") — a large impact basin about 345 miles (555 kilometers) wide. The spacecraft sits near a volcanic cone called Mons Latreille within the basin, which is located in the northeast region of the moon's near side.

The latest mission, referred to as IM-2 or PRIME-1, is slated for a moon landing at 11:32 a.m. CT on March 6. Intuitive Machines and NASA will provide live event coverage, starting at 10:30 a.m. CT.