Blue Ghost Mission 2: Rashid 2 Rover – Falcon 9 – Canaveral SLC-40 / Kennedy LC-39A – 2026

[zandr]

— ... Сасеендран. ОАЭ, изменит место посадки Rashid Rover 2 (Sajila Saseendran, MBZ-Sat: Region's most powerful Earth observation satellite revealed -- Saseendran, UAE to alter landing site of Rashid Rover 2) (на англ.) «Gulf News», 16.02.2024 в pdf - 0,98 Мб

... "ОАЭ изменят место посадки своей второй миссии на поверхность Луны, Rashid Rover 2, сообщил вчера высокопоставленный чиновник. [15.02.2024]. Аднан Аль Раис, руководитель проекта Лунной миссии Emirates в MBRSC, сказал: "Мы работаем над технико-экономическим обоснованием, чтобы выбрать организацию, которая могла бы предоставить посадочный модуль для доставки Rashid Rover 2 на поверхность Луны", - сказал он. В число этих организаций входит японская компания iSpace, которая построила спускаемый аппарат Hakuto-R Mission 1, на борту которого находился Rashid Rover 1. Спускаемый аппарат предпринял попытку мягкой посадки на Луну 26 апреля 2023 года. (...) Хотя он не уточнил новое место посадки, Аль Раис сказал, что MBRSC включит дополнительные научные данные, поскольку продолжит научные эксперименты, назначенные Rashid Rover 1."

[zandr]

https://x.com/HamdanMohammed/status/1925519875826667596

Hamdan bin Mohammed  @HamdanMohammed
I witnessed the signing of a strategic agreement between MBRSC and US-based Firefly Aerospace to provide the payload delivery services for the Rashid 2 Rover, as part of the Emirates Lunar Mission scheduled for 2026. The mission is set to make the UAE only the second country in history to attempt a landing in the moon's far side, placing the nation at the forefront of space exploration.
With the steadfast support of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the visionary directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAE continues to strengthen its role as a major global player in advancing space exploration. Driven by the talent of our youth, the UAE's journey in space reflects the same ambition and excellence that define our progress on Earth.

... на обратную сторону Луны.

[Rocinante]

https://x.com/Firefly_Space/status/1986835083429388293

Another Blue Ghost Mission 2 payload has rolled up! We worked with the UAE's @MBRSpaceCentre to test how their Rashid Rover 2 will deploy from our lunar lander and maneuver on the Moon's surface

Вы не можете просматривать это вложение.

[Schwalbe]

ОАЭ - пример того, что планомерная работа без истерик, но с постоянным развитием техники может с пустого места создать вполне работоспособную космическую промышленность.

[Rocinante]

Надо бы тему переименовать в Blue Ghost Mission 2, в составе которой эмиратский ровер полетит на Луну

https://fireflyspace.com/news/firefly-aerospace-adds-uaes-rashid-2-rover-to-blue-ghost-mission-to-the-far-side-of-the-moon/

Firefly Aerospace, the leader in end-to-end responsive space services, today announced a new agreement with the United Arab Emirates' Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) to deliver the Emirates Lunar Mission's Rashid 2 Rover to the far side of the Moon on Firefly's Blue Ghost lander. The Rashid 2 Rover will join Firefly's second lunar mission in 2026 in addition to payloads from Australia, the European Space Agency, and NASA as part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative

[zandr]

https://nextspaceflight.com/launches/details/7148/

Blue Ghost Mission 2
Liftoff Time
No Earlier Than 2nd Quarter, 2026

Mission Details
Blue Ghost Mission 2
Second launch of Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lunar lander under a NASA CLPS contract. It will debut a new two-stage version of Blue Ghost utilizing an Elytra Dark transfer vehicle to place it and the European Space Agency's Lunar Pathfinder satellite into Lunar orbit. Blue Ghost will then attempt to land on the far side of the Moon.
Highly Elliptical Orbit

Rocket
Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket by SpaceX
...
Launch Site
SLC-40 or LC-39A, Florida, USA

[zandr]

https://fireflyspace.com/missions/blue-ghost-mission-2/

Mission 2 to the Moon


Mission Details
Mission Name:   Blue Ghost Mission 2
Mission Type:   Lunar Mission
Customers:   NASA; Fleet Space; UAE MBRSC; Volta Space
Spacecraft:   Blue Ghost lunar lander; Elytra Dark orbital vehicle
Landing Site:   Far side of the Moon
Payloads:   6 government and commercial payloads

Mission Summary
On the heels of completing the first successful commercial Moon landing, Firefly's second lunar mission is bigger and bolder! For Blue Ghost Mission 2, Firefly was awarded two NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) task orders to provide payload services in lunar orbit and on the lunar surface, and has since onboarded additional government and commercial customers from across the globe.
This international mission, set to launch as early as late 2026, utilizes a dual spacecraft configuration with Firefly's Blue Ghost lunar lander stacked on our Elytra Dark orbital vehicle. Elytra will first deploy Blue Ghost and the European Space Agency's Lunar Pathfinder satellite in lunar orbit. Blue Ghost will then touch down on the far side of the Moon and support payload operations for approximately 10 days on the surface while Elytra provides a communications relay and radio frequency calibration services from lunar orbit. As part of Firefly's mission requirements, Blue Ghost will power off after 10 days to avoid interfering with NASA's LuSEE-Night radio telescope, which will remain integrated on Blue Ghost's top deck and continue operating on the Moon for up to two years. Following the Blue Ghost mission, Elytra will operate in lunar orbit for five years to enable Firefly's Ocula lunar imaging service.
Mission Imagery



Our Payloads
Blue Ghost Mission 2 will pave the way for a lasting presence on the Moon, carrying three payloads through NASA CLPS and three additional government and commercial payloads. With technology, spacecraft, and instruments representing five different countries, including the US, UK, UAE, Australia, and Canada, this international mission will help improve lunar communications, enhance lunar surface mobility, demonstrate technologies for a lunar power network, and provide insights into the geological properties and minerals on the Moon that can support lunar infrastructure and habitation. The payloads will also measure radio emissions across the solar system to peer into the Cosmic Dark Ages and unlock insights about the origins of the universe.



Lunar Pathfinder
European Space Agency; Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd.


Lunar Surface Electromagnetic Experiment at Night (LuSEE-Night)
NASA; U.S. Department of Energy


User Terminal (UT)
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory


Seismic Payload for Interplanetary Discovery, Exploration, and Research (SPIDER)
Fleet Space Technologies


Rashid Rover 2
United Arab Emirates' Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre


LightPort Wireless Power Receiver
Volta Space Technologies

Our Ride
Blue Ghost Mission 2 will debut Firefly's dual spacecraft configuration with our Blue Ghost lunar lander stacked on our Elytra Dark orbital vehicle. The full structure is 22 feet (6.9 meters) high — more than three times as tall as our Mission 1 lander. This unique configuration enables payload deployment and operations in lunar orbit and on the far side of the Moon. Both spacecraft are built with the same flight-proven hardware and systems that enabled the first successful commercial Moon landing and operations on Blue Ghost Mission 1.

[zandr]

https://fireflyspace.com/news/firefly-aerospace-adds-voltas-wireless-power-receiver-to-blue-ghost-mission-on-far-side-of-the-moon/

^{December 10, 2025}
Firefly Aerospace Adds Volta's Wireless Power Receiver to Blue Ghost Mission on Far Side of the Moon

^{Hosted onboard Firefly's Blue Ghost lander, Volta's LightPort will demonstrate technologies to survive the lunar night and support a lunar orbit power grid}
Cedar Park, Texas, December 10, 2025 – Firefly Aerospace (Nasdaq: FLY), a market leading space and defense technology company, today announced a new commercial payload agreement with Volta Space Technologies to host a wireless power receiver on Firefly's Blue Ghost Mission 2 lander on the far side of the Moon. The payload will serve as a technology demonstration for Volta's planned lunar power network, called LightGrid.
"Firefly is proud to welcome Volta to our second Blue Ghost mission and serve as a core partner in the ongoing development of lunar power utilities," said Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly Aerospace. "Our international mission will enable critical technology demonstrations that lay the groundwork for lasting operations on the Moon. Longer term, our Blue Ghost landers and Elytra orbiters are well equipped to support Volta's larger vision for a lunar power network, and we look forward to seeing the evolution of our collaboration in the years ahead."

описание ПН

Volta's planned LightGrid consists of a network of satellites in lunar orbit that collect solar energy and transmit it via laser to receivers known as LightPorts that are integrated on customer landers, rovers, and infrastructure on the Moon's surface. The Volta payload hosted on Blue Ghost Mission 2 will be used to test and validate the first LightPort, demonstrating how surface users can tap into Volta's power grid. The mission will further demonstrate how Volta's dedicated laser-receiver system can be integrated into centralized surface power generation architectures to enable local surface-to-surface power distribution and provide redundant power capabilities as the lunar ecosystem develops. 
"Partnering with Firefly on Blue Ghost Mission 2 is an important step forward for Volta and the future of lunar infrastructure," said Justin Zipkin, CEO of Volta. "This collaboration allows us to prove our LightPort receiver in a real lunar environment and move one step closer to delivering a fully integrated power grid for the Moon."
With the addition of Volta based in Montreal, Canada, Blue Ghost Mission 2 will now carry six payloads from five different countries. Other payloads flying on Firefly's mission include NASA's LuSEE-Night radio telescope and User Terminal and the European Space Agency's Lunar Pathfinder satellite as part of Firefly's NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services task order. Firefly also onboarded additional government and commercial payloads, including the United Arab Emirates Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre Rashid Rover 2 and Fleet Space Technologies' SPIDER payload. These payloads aim to provide insights into the geological properties and minerals on the Moon, enhance lunar surface mobility, improve lunar communications, and uncover new insights about the origins of the universe.
Blue Ghost Mission 2 will also initiate Firefly's Ocula lunar imaging service through Firefly's Elytra Dark vehicle that is equipped with high-resolution telescopes. Elytra will first serve as a Blue Ghost transfer vehicle and communications relay for the mission and then remain operational in lunar orbit for more than five years to provide ultraviolet and visible spectrum imaging – a key capability to identify mineral deposits on the Moon's surface, map future landing sites with higher fidelity, and enable cislunar situational awareness.

[свернуть]

Qualification testing for the fully stacked Blue Ghost and Elytra spacecraft structure is well underway for Blue Ghost Mission 2. The team has also begun assembling flight hardware and has accepted and tested a majority of the payloads at Firefly's spacecraft facility. For more details on the mission, visit https://fireflyspace.com/missions/blue-ghost-mission-2/.

^{*Rendering of Volta's LightPort payload integrated on the top deck of Firefly's Blue Ghost lunar lander}

Лунной ночью будет питаться энергией со спутников?

[zandr]

Фото из галереи
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fireflyspace/albums/72177720313237012/with/54841661409
 

[zandr]

Не понимаю где в посадочном модуле высотой около 1,5 м будет помещаться ровер

[Ed Sch]

Не понимаю где в посадочном модуле высотой около 1,5 м будет помещаться ровер

Дык, вонон же сверху в левом углу. 
В коробчонке.

Здесь тоже видно

[zandr]

Получается, в сложенном состоянии колёса на уровне середины корпуса.
Потом опускаются.

[Ed Sch]

Съёмка ровера, конечно, выполнена так, что он кажется значительнее, чем есть на самом деле.
Как и космические успехи ОАЭ.

[Schwalbe]

Как и космические успехи ОАЭ.

Там настоящие успехи, Вы не правы. И их успехи показывают наше космическое будущее.

[Athlon]

Съёмка ровера, конечно, выполнена так, что он кажется значительнее, чем есть на самом деле.
Как и космические успехи ОАЭ.

Все нормально у них с успехами в космосе. В части АМС они обошли Россию, у них уже который год на орбите Марса успешно работает станция. Плюс вот этот ровер, плюс в активной разработке интересная миссия к куче астероидов.