BU Lands on the Moon: The Science Behind the LEXI Telescope

In March 2025, Boston University’s LEXI telescope successfully landed on the Moon aboard Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission 1, marking BU’s first device to reach another planetary body. This groundbreaking space mission aims to capture unique images of Earth’s magnetosphere from the lunar surface. After six years of development, BU scientists anxiously monitored LEXI’s touchdown, ready to collect critical data. The team had just ten days to track how Earth’s magnetic field protects us from the sun’s charged particles. LEXI’s Moon mission represents a major leap in space science, imaging Earth's magnetic shield like never before.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Mission Genesis – The idea that sparked LEXI’s lunar mission
01:45 Building LEXI – Engineering BU's first Moon telescope
03:45 COVID Challenges – How the team adapted to pandemic setbacks
06:02 Innovative Optics – Designing cutting-edge lunar imaging systems
07:48 Lander Integration – Installing LEXI onto Blue Ghost’s lunar lander
09:13 Launch Night – The thrilling countdown to launch
12:45 Journey to the Moon – LEXI’s voyage through space
17:11 Moon Landing – A historic moment for BU and Firefly Aerospace
19:22 Aftermath – What LEXI’s data means for future missions
21:22 Mission Goodbye – Reflecting on the legacy of LEXI’s lunar adventure

Details about the moon landing: https://www.bu.edu/articles/2025/nasa...
More from NASA: https://science.nasa.gov/science-rese...
More information on LEXI: https://sites.bu.edu/lexi/

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