Firefly Blue Ghost Mission 2 (Riders 2 the Dark)
Firefly's second lunar mission, a Blue Ghost lander stacked on an Elytra Dark orbiter bound for the lunar far side, is to deploy Fleet Space Technologies' SPIDER passive-seismic payload, which Firefly says will detect water ice deposits in the subsurface. Firefly now lists the launch as no earlier than 2027 (announced in 2023 for 2026).
Objective. Operate Fleet Space's SPIDER seismic (ambient-noise) payload from the lander for up to 14 days to image the subsurface and look for water-ice signatures; this is a seismic survey, not sampling or extraction.
Facts
- Kind
- Spacecraft
- Mission type
- Prospecting
- Target
- MoonMoon's far side, near Nassau craterOn the Moon map: Nassau crater
- Launch
- Planned, no earlier than 2027Announcement date not recorded. Record checked 2026-10-31.
- Phase
- In developmentFirefly's Blue Ghost Mission 2 page (rechecked 2026-10-28) lists it as an upcoming mission set to launch no earlier than 2027; NASA's Moon Base page for the mission describes the far-side delivery.
- Outcome
- Not applicable
- Why it is included
- Stated resource objective
How this launch date changed
Recorded change: the plan before → the plan after, oldest first.
- 2026: 2026 → 2027 (net)Schedule slip [1]
Only changes recorded here are listed. The oldest date shown may not be the first plan ever announced, and a date with no recorded change may still have moved. A plan is not a launch.
What comes next
Next recorded dates are plans, not results.
Launch: Planned, no earlier than 2027Announcement date not recorded. Record checked 2026-10-31.
Participants
Operators, payload owners, carriers and customers are recorded separately.
| Organization | Role |
|---|---|
| Firefly Aerospace | Operator |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | Customer |
| Fleet Space Technologies | Payload owner |
| European Space Agency | Payload owner |
Resources and evidence
| Resource | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Water ice | Targeted |
Dated events
- 2023-11-08
Firefly agreement to deliver Fleet Space SPIDER to the lunar far side
Firefly Aerospace announced an agreement with Fleet Space Technologies to deliver and operate the SPIDER seismic payload on Firefly's second Blue Ghost lunar mission. The November 2023 release then planned that flight for 2026; that historical expectation does not establish the current mission date or completed delivery.
Company statements only. No independent or government source is recorded here.
Sources (1) and evidence gaps
today announced a new agreement with Fleet Space Technologies, an Australian space exploration firm, to deliver and operate
- Contract value not disclosed.
- 2023-06
Australian Space Agency Moon to Mars Demonstrator grant to Fleet Space
Fleet Space announced it received an A$4M Australian Space Agency Moon to Mars Demonstrator Program grant to develop a lunar geophysical device (SPIDER) to search for water ice.
Company statements only. No independent or government source is recorded here.
Sources (2) and evidence gaps
The Australian Space Agency's Demonstrator Program grant from June 2023, enabling Fleet to build SPIDER
Earlier this year, Fleet was awarded a A$4M grant by the Australian Space Agency for its Moon to Mars: Demonstrator Program
- Australian Space Agency primary record of the grant (space.gov.au refused the raw fetch).
Open evidence gaps
- Launch vehicle not stated on the current mission page.
- Firefly's mission page labels the landing site Moon's Far Side, Nassau Crater, and says the landing side is near Nassau crater. No coordinates are stated.
- Date the launch moved from 2026 to NET 2027 not established.
Record history
changes to this record's facts, newest first
| Changed | Field | Was | Now | Reason | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | launch date | 2026 | 2027 (net) | Schedule slip | [1] |
Sources
9 excerpts from 4 publicationsOne web address counts as one publication.
Set to launch no earlier than 2027, the mission will deliver six international payloads
a seismic device from Fleet Space
Firefly's Blue Ghost lunar lander will deploy Fleet Space's SPIDER payload to detect water ice deposits and examine the mineral profile of the lunar subsurface
the Australian-backed SPIDER payload will fly on Firefly's Blue Ghost lander as part of Firefly's second lunar mission in 2026
develop a geophysical device that will deliver insight about the subsurface of the Moon's South Pole and search for water ice deposits
This data will offer insights into the geological properties of the lunar subsurface and its mineral profile, such as water ice, that can support lunar infrastructure and further regolith exploration.
Moon's Far Side, Nassau Crater
The landing side is near the Moon’s Nassau crater and is a uniquely “quiet” region shielded from Earth-born radio frequency noise, making the region well suited to collect valuable data on the cosmic Dark Ages and study the unique composition of the Moon’s far side.
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 2 will deliver science and technology to the lunar far side.
Cite this record
SpaceMiningData, “Firefly Blue Ghost Mission 2 (Riders 2 the Dark)”, dataset version a00fa2c68a45, built 2026-11-11, https://spaceminingdata.com/missions/firefly-blue-ghost-m2.html. Record checked 2026-10-31.