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Firefly's Blue Ghost lander captured its first sunrise on the Moon, marking the beginning of the lunar day and the start of surface operations in its new home. 3 min read NASA Successfully Acquires GPS Signals on Moon article1 day ago NASA's Hubble Finds Kuiper Belt Duo May Be Trio 6 min read NASA's Hubble Finds Kuiper Belt Duo May Be Trio article1 day ago What's Up: March 2025 Skywatching Tips from NASA 5 min read What's Up: March 2025 Skywatching Tips from NASA article5 days ago Back --------------------------------------------------------------------- Missions * Search All NASA Missions * A to Z List of Missions * Upcoming Launches and Landings * Spaceships and Rockets * Communicating with Missions * Artemis * James Webb Space Telescope * Hubble Space Telescope * International Space Station * OSIRIS-Rex Humans in Space * Why Go to Space * Astronauts * Commercial Space * Destinations * Spaceships and Rockets * Living in Space Earth & Climate * Explore Earth Science * Climate Change * Earth, Our Planet * Earth Science in Action * Earth Multimedia * Earth Data * Earth Science Researchers The Solar System * The Sun * Mercury * Venus * Earth * The Moon * Mars * Jupiter * Saturn * Uranus * Neptune * Pluto & Dwarf Planets * Asteroids, Comets & Meteors * The Kuiper Belt * The Oort Cloud * Skywatching The Universe * Exoplanets * The Search for Life in the Universe * Stars * Galaxies * Black Holes * The Big Bang * Dark Energy & Dark Matter Science * Earth Science * Planetary Science * Astrophysics & Space Science * The Sun & Heliophysics * Biological & Physical Sciences * Lunar Science * Citizen Science * Astromaterials * Aeronautics Research * Human Space Travel Research Aeronautics * Science in the Air * NASA Aircraft * Flight Innovation * Supersonic Flight * Air Traffic Solutions * Green Aviation Tech * Drones & You Technology * Technology Transfer & Spinoffs * Space Travel Technology * Technology Living in Space * Manufacturing and Materials * Robotics * Science Instruments * Computing Learning Resources * For Kids and Students * For Educators * For Colleges and Universities * For Professionals * Science for Everyone * Requests for Exhibits, Artifacts, or Speakers * STEM Engagement at NASA About NASA * NASA's Impacts * Centers and Facilities * Directorates * Organizations * People of NASA * Careers * Internships * Our History * Doing Business with NASA * Get Involved * Contact NASA en Espanol * Ciencia * Aeronautica * Ciencias Terrestres * Sistema Solar * Universo News & Events * All NASA News * Video Series on NASA+ * Podcasts * Blogs * Newsletters * Social Media * Media Resources * Events * Upcoming Launches & Landings * Virtual Guest Program Multimedia * NASA+ * Images * NASA Live * NASA Apps * Podcasts * Image of the Day * e-Books * Sounds and Ringtones * Interactives * STEM Multimedia Featured NASA's Webb Exposes Complex Atmosphere of Starless Super-Jupiter 6 min read NASA's Webb Exposes Complex Atmosphere of Starless Super-Jupiter article 2 days ago Rise and shine! 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Credits: NASA/Dave Ryan The headshot image of Katherine Schauer Katherine Schauer Mar 04, 2025 Article * * * * NASA and the Italian Space Agency made history on March 3 when the Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE) became the first technology demonstration to acquire and track Earth-based navigation signals on the Moon's surface. The LuGRE payload's success in lunar orbit and on the surface indicates that signals from the GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) can be received and tracked at the Moon. These results mean NASA's Artemis missions, or other exploration missions, could benefit from these signals to accurately and autonomously determine their position, velocity, and time. This represents a steppingstone to advanced navigation systems and services for the Moon and Mars. An artist's concept of the LuGRE payload on Blue Ghost and its three main records in transit to the Moon, in lunar orbit and on the Moon's surface. An artist's concept of the LuGRE payload on Blue Ghost and its three main records in transit to the Moon, in lunar orbit and on the Moon's surface. NASA/Dave Ryan "On Earth we can use GNSS signals to navigate in everything from smartphones to airplanes," said Kevin Coggins, deputy associate administrator for NASA's SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) Program. "Now, LuGRE shows us that we can successfully acquire and track GNSS signals at the Moon. This is a very exciting discovery for lunar navigation, and we hope to leverage this capability for future missions." This is a very exciting discovery for lunar navigation, and we hope to leverage this capability for future missions. Kevin Coggins Kevin Coggins Deputy Associate Administrator for NASA SCaN The road to the historic milestone began on March 2 when the Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lunar lander touched down on the Moon and delivered LuGRE, one of 10 NASA payloads intended to advance lunar science. Soon after landing, LuGRE payload operators at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, began conducting their first science operation on the lunar surface. The LuGRE team at Goddard Space Flight Center in the payload's operations hub. Members from NASA and Italian Space Agency watching the Blue Ghost lunar lander touch down on the Moon. NASA With the receiver data flowing in, anticipation mounted. Could a Moon-based mission acquire and track signals from two GNSS constellations, GPS and Galileo, and use those signals for navigation on the lunar surface? Then, at 2 a.m. EST on March 3, it was official: LuGRE acquired and tracked signals on the lunar surface for the first time ever and achieved a navigation fix -- approximately 225,000 miles away from Earth. Now that Blue Ghost is on the Moon, the mission will operate for 14 days providing NASA and the Italian Space Agency the opportunity to collect data in a near-continuous mode, leading to additional GNSS milestones. In addition to this record-setting achievement, LuGRE is the first Italian Space Agency developed hardware on the Moon, a milestone for the organization. The LuGRE payload also broke GNSS records on its journey to the Moon. On Jan. 21, LuGRE surpassed the highest altitude GNSS signal acquisition ever recorded at 209,900 miles from Earth, a record formerly held by NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission. Its altitude record continued to climb as LuGRE reached lunar orbit on Feb. 20 -- 243,000 miles from Earth. This means that missions in cislunar space, the area of space between Earth and the Moon, could also rely on GNSS signals for navigation fixes. Rise and shine! Firefly's Blue Ghost lander captured its first sunrise on the Moon, marking the beginning of the lunar day and the start of surface operations in its new home. Firefly's Blue Ghost lander captured its first sunrise on the Moon, marking the beginning of the lunar day and the start of surface operations in its new home. Firefly Aerospace Traditionally, NASA engineers track spacecraft by using a combination of measurements, including onboard sensors and signals from Earth-based tracking stations. The LuGRE payload demonstrates that using GNSS signals for navigation can reduce reliance on human operators because these signals can be picked up and used autonomously by the spacecraft, even as far away as the Moon. The LuGRE payload is a collaborative effort between NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, the Italian Space Agency, their industry partner Qascom, and Politecnico di Torino. Funding and oversight for the LuGRE payload comes from NASA's SCaN Program office. It was chosen by NASA as one of 10 funded research and technology demonstrations for delivery to the lunar surface by Firefly Aerospace Inc., a flight under the agency's Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. Learn more about LuGRE: https://go.nasa.gov/41qwwQN The joint NASA and Italian Space Agency team at Goddard Space Flight Center posing for a picture. The joint NASA, Italian Space Agency, Qascom, and PoliTO LuGRE team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. NASA About the Author Katherine Schauer Katherine Schauer Katherine Schauer is a writer for the Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program office and covers emerging technologies, commercialization efforts, exploration activities, and more. Share * * * * Details Last Updated Mar 05, 2025 Editor Goddard Digital Team Contact Katherine Schauer katherine.s.schauer@nasa.gov Location NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Related Terms * General * Artemis * Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) * Communicating and Navigating with Missions * Goddard Space Flight Center * Space Communications & Navigation Program Explore More [lugre-banner] 5 min read NASA and Italian Space Agency Test Future Lunar Navigation Technology Article 2 months ago [lugre-banner] 3 min read NASA Delivers Hardware for Commercial Lunar Payload Mission Article 2 years ago [image_11182021_lugreupdate] 5 min read NASA Moon Mission Set to Break Record in Navigation Signal Test Article 3 years ago NASA Logo National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA explores the unknown in air and space, innovates for the benefit of humanity, and inspires the world through discovery. * About NASA's Mission Join Us * Home * News & Events * Multimedia * NASA+ * Missions * Humans in Space * Earth & Climate * The Solar System * The Universe * Science * Aeronautics * Technology * Learning Resources * About NASA * NASA en Espanol Follow NASA * * * * * More NASA Social Accounts * NASA Newsletters * Sitemap * For Media * Privacy Policy * FOIA * No FEAR Act * Office of the IG * Budget & Annual Reports * Agency Financial Reports * Contact NASA * Accessibility * Page Last Updated: Mar 05, 2025 * Page Editor: Katherine Schauer * Responsible NASA Official: Abigail Bowman