Overview of the NASA instruments onboard Blue Ghost Mission 1

Blue Ghost Mission 1 (BGM1), or NASA CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) Task Order (TO) 19D, delivered ten NASA science and technology instruments to the lunar surface (18.5623°N, 61.8103°E) in 2025. All NASA payloads successfully activated and performed operations on the Moon:

LuGRE (Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment) acquired and tracked Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals from GPS and Galileo constellations and calculated instantaneous navigation “fixes” enroute to and on the Moon’s surface for the first time. LuGRE demonstrated that GNSS signals can be used to support navigation in cislunar space and at the Moon.

RadPC (Radiation Tolerant Computer System) successfully operated through Earth’s Van Allen belts, in transit to and in lunar orbit, and on the lunar surface. RadPC verified solutions to mitigate radiation effects on computers that could make future missions safer for equipment and more cost effective.

EDS (Electrodynamic Dust Shield) successfully lifted and removed lunar regolith from surfaces using electrodynamic forces demonstrating a promising solution for dust mitigation on future lunar and interplanetary surface operations.

SCALPSS (Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies) captured more than 9,000 images including during the spacecraft’s descent to the surface, providing insights into the effects engine plumes have on the surface. The payload also operated on the surface during the lunar day, during the lunar sunset, and into the lunar night.

LISTER (Lunar Instrumentation for Subsurface Thermal Exploration with Rapidity) is now the deepest robotic planetary subsurface thermal probe, drilling and acquiring thermal measurements at eight depths down to ~1-m depth. LISTER provided a first-time demonstration of robotic thermal measurements at varying depths.

LMS (Lunar Magnetotelluric Sounder) determined that the subsurface electrical conductivity profile beneath the Blue Ghost lunar lander is very similar to that below the Apollo 12 site. This implies that the widespread basaltic volcanism of the western nearside was not powered by regional enhancement of heat-producing elements, but was likely a consequence of easier eruption through thinner crust.

LEXI (Lunar Environment heliospheric X-ray Imager) captured X-ray images to study the interaction of the solar wind and Earth’s magnetic field to provide insights into how space weather and other cosmic forces surrounding Earth affect the planet. LEXI also observed density profiles of the lunar exosphere through solar wind charge-exchange emission.

NGLR (Next Generation Lunar Retroreflector) has successfully reflected and returned laser light for thousands of individual range measurements from multiple Lunar Laser Ranging Observatories (LLROs) on Earth. Measurements utilizing NGLR will enable precise measurements of the Moon’s shape and distance from Earth, expanding our understanding of the Moon’s inner structure. 

LPV (Lunar PlanetVac) was deployed on the lander’s surface access arm and collected, transferred, and sorted lunar regolith particles using pressurized nitrogen gas, including acquiring regolith without physically touching the lunar surface. LPV successfully demonstrated a low-cost, low-mass solution for future robotic sample collection.

RAC (Regolith Adherence Characterization) examined how regolith sticks to a range of materials exposed to the lunar environment. Results can help test, improve, and protect spacecraft, spacesuits, and habitats from abrasive lunar dust.