Firefly Aerospace succeeded in its first attempt to land on the moon with its uncrewed Blue Ghost spacecraft on Sunday, kicking off a two-week research mission as a handful of private firms compete to reach the frontlines of a global moon race.

The Blue Ghost spacecraft has taken its first images of the lunar surface as Firefly Aerospace and NASA celebrate a successful moon landing.

A commercial lander arrived just in time to watch the sun rise over the surface of the moon, capturing dramatic shadows cast among craters under a dazzling bloom of light. Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost spacecraft touched down at 3:34 a.