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Health & Science3h 37m ago
NASA announced a novel plan for mapping the Moon's surface involving Firefly Aerospace, launching one of its Elytra Dark spacecraft carrying four hopping drones built by JPL.
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Moon
Who
NASA, Firefly Aerospace, CalTech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
What
NASA announced a novel plan for mapping the Moon's surface involving Firefly Aerospace, launching one of its Elytra Dark spacecraft carrying four hopping drones built by JPL.
When
Sun, 14 Jun 2026 15:30:00 GMT · 3h 37m ago
Where
Moon ·
Why
The drones will develop the highest-resolution map of the lunar surface ever created, detect potential caches of water ice, and confirm potential landing sites for Artemis IV and future crewed missions.
The Frontline Impact
How this affects you
This project integrates Firefly Aerospace into NASA's Project Artemis, providing the company with significant public relations value and a strong position for future contract bids. The mission is part of NASA's broader efforts to advance lunar exploration and potential future human landings.
Story chain
3 events in this thread- Health & Science3h 37m agoNASA hired Firefly Aerospace to send four 'hopping' drones built by JPL to the Moon in 2028 as part of the 'MoonFall' project.Open article
- Health & Science3h 37m agoNASA hired Firefly Aerospace to build a drone aircraft carrier, named Project MoonFall, which will send four hopping drones to the Moon and create the highest-resolution map of the lunar surface ever created.Open article
- Currently Reading3h 37m agoNASA announced a novel plan for mapping the Moon's surface involving Firefly Aerospace, launching one of its Elytra Dark spacecraft carrying four hopping drones built by JPL.