Private lunar lander touches down on moon

Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander while orbiting the moon (Firefly Aerospace/AP)

A private lunar lander carrying a drill, vacuum and other experiments for Nasa has touched down on the moon, the latest in a string of companies looking to kick-start business on Earth’s celestial neighbour ahead of astronaut missions.

Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander descended from lunar orbit on autopilot on Sunday, aiming for the slopes of an ancient volcanic dome in an impact basin on the moon’s north-eastern edge of the near side.