The National Space Society invites you to the next Space Forum
Thursday, May 22, 2024, 9:00 pm to 10:15 pm EST
Blue Ghost’s Moon Mission:
A New Era of Commercial Exploration
With special guest
Kevin Scholtes
Future Systems Architect
Firefly Aerospace
On March 2, 2025, Firefly Aerospace made history as the first commercial company to achieve a successful soft landing on the Moon. Its Blue Ghost lunar lander touched down carrying 10 NASA science and technology payloads, kicking off a 14-day mission that broke new ground—literally and figuratively.
From the first-ever reception and tracking of GPS signals on the lunar surface to innovative techniques for mitigating dangerous lunar dust, Blue Ghost delivered a string of firsts. The lander also conducted the deepest robotic drilling ever performed on the Moon, opening new possibilities for future scientific discovery. It was the longest commercial surface operation to date opening new possibilities for future scientific discovery and reshaping the trajectory of commercial space exploration.
At this exclusive NSS Space Forum, we’ll go behind the scenes of this landmark mission with Kevin Scholtes, Future Systems Architect at Firefly Aerospace. He’ll walk us through the challenges, breakthroughs, and lessons from the Blue Ghost mission—and how Firefly’s work is paving the way for future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
Whether you’re a space enthusiast, a student of exploration, or a professional in the space sector, this is an opportunity to learn about this unique and ambitious commercial space mission. Register for the space forum today.
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Kevin Scholtes is the Future Systems Architect for Firefly Aerospace where he has directly supported the strategy and development of the Alpha launch vehicle, Elytra orbiter, and Blue Ghost lunar lander. An aerospace engineering graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, he spent a year at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory on co-op for systems engineering and mission formulation before joining Firefly. With a previous career in fine arts, he is a creative leader that brings together a background in design, strategy, and engineering to champion interdisciplinary teams that integrate technical and non-technical objectives.
Register today to reserve your seat and ask your questions. Use the link below.
Register no later than May 22 at 8 pm EST