VIDEO: NASA Backed Private Lunar Lander 'Blue Ghost' Touches Down On The Moon, Marks Historic Milestone

The latest in a series of businesses aiming to launch operations on Earth's celestial neighbor before astronaut missions, a private lunar lander carrying a drill, vacuum, and other experiments for NASA landed on the moon Sunday. Aiming for an impact basin on the moon's near side, Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander lowered itself from lunar orbit. Firefly's Mission Control in Texas confirmed the touchdown. In January, Blue Ghost, named for a rare species of fireflies, took flight from Florida. It is closely followed by landers from two other businesses, the next of which plans to land later this week. As NASA works to launch a lunar economy and return astronauts, there is a frenzy.