Firefly Aerospace achieved its first successful moon landing with the unmanned Blue Ghost spacecraft on Sunday, marking the beginning of a two-week research mission amidst private firms vying in the global moon race.

The Blue Ghost, comparable in size to a compact car, landed near an ancient volcanic vent on Mare Crisium, a basin on the moon's Earth-facing side, carrying 10 scientific payloads. The spacecraft gently descended at two miles per hour, entering lunar gravity as confirmed by Will Coogan, Firefly's Blue Ghost Chief Engineer.

Upon landing, Coogan declared, "We're on the moon," evoking cheers in the mission control room. Firefly is the second private firm to achieve a moon landing, boasting a "fully successful" soft landing, following Houston-based Intuitive Machines.

Operating under a $101 million contract from NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, Firefly aims to pave the way for cost-effective lunar missions before crewed NASA missions to the moon in 2027.

With other nations also intensifying their lunar exploration efforts, Firefly's achievement underscores the increasing competition and potential for advancements in deep space exploration.