Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume Surface Studies (SCALPSS); version not stated by NASA

Blue Ghost Mission 5 · manifested · NASA payload

Stereo cameras under the lander that image how the engine plume erodes the regolith as the lander descends; stereo photogrammetry turns the images into 3D maps for plume-erosion models. NASA and Firefly describe 'an array of four cameras'. NASA flies SCALPSS on all four late-2028 landings to collect data from several engine sizes, propellants and sites. This one returns to the Blue Ghost lander and to the near side, close to where SCALPSS 1.1 landed on Blue Ghost Mission 1.

PI: Wesley Chambers (NASA Marshall), per the team's January 2026 slides; project manager Robert Maddock (NASA Langley). NASA's June 2026 release names no PI for this unit.
Built by: NASA Langley Research Center (lead), with NASA Marshall (principal investigator), as for the other SCALPSS units. Firefly's page credits NASA Langley. (NASA center)

Technology	landing-environment cameras (plume-surface interaction)
Moon Base need	DN-017 L, DN-018 L (The knowledge base's own matching, not NASA's: the June 2026 release names no data gap. It matches SCALPSS on the four late-2028 landings to DN-017 L and DN-018 L, and finds the fit closer than a single flight, because landings on three companies' landers answer the gaps' call for different sites and lander types. This unit adds a second Blue Ghost landing near the first one's site, a repeat on the same lander type rather than a new one, and the site is not at the South Pole. DN-017 L's own row names SCALPSS for its Blue Ghost flight. A late-2028 landing falls in Phase 1 ('Now through 2028'), the study's reading.)
Route onto CLPS	STMD; No payload call for this flight. NASA's Moon Base Program named the same three 'flight-proven' NASA payloads (SCALPSS, LRA, LETS) for each of four late-2028 landings, awarded on 30 June 2026 to Astrobotic (two), Firefly ($144.2 million, this mission) and Intuitive Machines. Voyager names the procurement CS-8; NASA's CLPS page says CS-8 delivers Moon Base payloads. That Firefly's order is part of CS-8 is the study's reading, supported by a NASA laser order for 'SCALPSS 2.0 flight projects on CS-8 payloads'. SCALPSS is funded by STMD's Game Changing Development program, so the route is STMD, as for the other SCALPSS units.; 2026-06-30
Timeline	first funding late 2018 (SCALPSS project formed at Langley; SMD NPLP from FY2019); first flight test 2024-02-15 (SCALPSS 1.0 on IM-1); selected 2026-06-30 (named in Firefly's award); launch 2028 (Firefly); no earlier than Q4 2028 (SCALPSS team poster); landing late 2028 (NASA, target)
On the Moon	not yet flown
FO	none

Flights before the Moon

• earlier lunar mission: Intuitive Machines IM-1 (Nova-C 'Odysseus'), SCALPSS 1.0, 2024-02-15 (launch); landed 2024-02-22. Four cameras. They survived launch, transit and landing, but no plume data was collected; three cameras later returned surface images.

"The SCALPSS 1.0 payload successfully operated during lunar transit, and on the lunar surface, however, no science data was collected."
— TechPort project 116401, description

• earlier lunar mission: Firefly Blue Ghost Mission 1, SCALPSS 1.1 (same lander type, near side, Mare Crisium), 2025-01-15 (launch); landed 2025-03-02. Six cameras on a Blue Ghost lander; it worked in transit, in lunar orbit, in descent and on the surface, took about 1,800 images in descent and landing, and met its full measurement objectives. This is the flight behind NASA's word 'flight-proven', and the closest match to this unit's lander and site.

"The SCALPSS 1.1 payload successfully operated during lunar transit, in lunar orbit, during lander descent, and on the lunar surface achieving its full measurement objectives."
— TechPort project 116401, description

"During descent and landing on March 2, 2025, the payload acquired and transferred to the lander approximately 1800 images"
— NTRS 20250010973, page 1 (abstract)

"Firefly's Blue Ghost 1 lunar lander delivered 10 NASA CLPS science payloads to Mare Crisium."
— Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) Deliveries - NASA Science

Heritage hardware

• design heritage (SCALPSS 1.0 and 1.1; same lander family): Same team and method, and a repeatable process: camera placement optimized on the lander maker's CAD model, ground tests (thermal vacuum, vibration), delivery, then calibration on the lander. Firefly calls this lander a build-to-print Blue Ghost with improvements from Mission 1, so SCALPSS returns to a lander it has already flown on. Which hardware this unit uses is not stated (four cameras in NASA's and Firefly's text; a laser order names SCALPSS 2.0 for CS-8).

"Assemble final components and deliver to vendors."
— NTRS 20260007363, poster, workflow step 7

"These incremental improvements are being integrated into a build-to-print lander"
— Firefly Aerospace Awarded $144 Million NASA CLPS Contract for Accelerated Blue Ghost Lunar Mission

"Heritage hardware from Mars 2020 EDLCam (NASA JPL)"
— NTRS 20260000603, page 11

Funding before the lunar flight

• STMD Game Changing Development: the SCALPSS projects (TechPort 116401 for 1.x, from October 2020; TechPort 184628 'SCALPSS 2', 2025-2030). No amounts public, and no split by unit. (STMD GCD; from FY2021): amount not in public sources

"The SCALPSS 2.0 payload will utilize new electronics to improve data management and higher resolution cameras for improved science data."
— TechPort project 184628, description; start 2025-05-01, end 2030-06-30

• NASA purchase order to RPMC Lasers for Matchbox lasers 'for SCALPSS 2.0 flight projects on CS-8 payloads' (80NSSC26P1184, signed 3 Aug 2026). Linked by the description. If Firefly's order is a CS-8 order (the study's reading), this covers lasers for this unit and the other CS-8 units; the split is not stated. It also suggests the CS-8 units are SCALPSS 2.0 with laser illumination, while NASA's release describes four cameras (see open questions). Other SCALPSS 2.0 parts orders are under bgm4-scalpss. (NASA purchase order (NSSC); 2026): $124,920

"MATCHBOX LASERS FROM RPMC FOR SCALPSS 2.0 FLIGHT PROJECTS ON CS-8 PAYLOADS"
— USAspending.gov, award SCALPSS, 80NSSC26P1184; amount 124920.0; signed 2026-08-03

• The base design: SMD's NASA-Provided Lunar Payloads paid for SCALPSS 1.0 from FY2019; STMD GCD paid for SCALPSS 1.1, which flew on Blue Ghost Mission 1. See im1-scalpss and bgm1-scalpss. (SMD NPLP; STMD GCD; from FY2019): amount not in public sources

"SCALPSS 1.0 was funded by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate through the NASA-Provided Lunar Payloads Program."
— Tiny NASA Cameras to Picture Interaction Between Lander, Moon’s Surface - NASA

How it got onto CLPS

"NASA announced Tuesday the selection of three companies to land four new missions on the Moon in late 2028"
— NASA Awards More Moon Base Science, Previews New Opportunities - NASA

"Firefly Aerospace $144.2 million"
— NASA Awards More Moon Base Science, Previews New Opportunities - NASA

"These three payloads are flight-proven and their data is critical to supporting safe human exploration of the lunar surface."
— NASA Awards More Moon Base Science, Previews New Opportunities - NASA

"including the CS-8 competitive procurement under the existing Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) indefinite delivery/indefinite-quantity framework"
— Voyager Awarded $298M NASA Contract Under Completed Astrobotic Acquisition

"CS-8 will deliver Moon Base payloads to the lunar surface."
— Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) Deliveries - NASA Science

"The SCALPSS project is funded by the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD), Game Changing Development (GCD) Program."
— NTRS 20260007363, poster, Acknowledgements

On the Moon

Manifested on Blue Ghost Mission 5 for late 2028, at a near-side site to be announced, similar to Blue Ghost Mission 1's. SCALPSS units are also manifested on Blue Moon Pathfinder Mission 1, Blue Ghost Mission 4, IM-5 and the other three late-2028 landings.

"Moon's Near Side (TBA)"
— Blue Ghost: Lunar Near Side, Landing Site

FO's role

Grade: none. No FO flight of SCALPSS or its NASA team, as for every other SCALPSS unit. FO flew plume-surface work by other teams (Auburn University's parabolic-flight photogrammetry of craters, TechPort 106726); no source ties it to SCALPSS, so that is the same topic only. Grade: none.

"No FO flight of SCALPSS or its Langley team."
— earlier finding of this study (not a public source)

"Three-Dimensional Plume-Surface Interaction and Crater Formation Dynamic Measurements in Reduced Gravity Environments"
— TechPort project 106726, title (FO; lead Auburn University)

Who built it

"Stereo CAmera for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies (SCALPSS) NASA Langley Research Center"
— Blue Ghost: Lunar Near Side, payload list

"Principal Investigators: Michelle Munk (retired) and Wesley Chambers"
— NTRS 20260000603, page 2 (SCALPSS payload overview, 27 Jan 2026)

"The Firefly, Voyager, and Intuitive Machines landers will launch NET Q4-2028."
— NTRS 20260007363, poster, Conclusion (Rienstra, Tyrrell and Danehy, NASA Langley, 2026)

Moon Base need

"four landings on three companies' landers answer the gaps' call for"
— Moon to Mars knowledge base: Architecture data gaps: all 25, June 2026 landings table, SCALPSS row

"Collecting data from a variety of engine sizes, propellants, and landing locations"
— NASA Awards More Moon Base Science, Previews New Opportunities - NASA

"surface at different sites and under different plume conditions (i.e. lander types). During"
— Moon to Mars knowledge base: DN-017 L: In situ measurement of particle velocity during lunar plume surface interaction (PSI) phenomena, description

"Blue Ghost will return to the Moon's near side, similar to where Mission 1 landed"
— Firefly Aerospace Awarded $144 Million NASA CLPS Contract for Accelerated Blue Ghost Lunar Mission, 30 Jun 2026

"Phase 1 "Now through 2028""
— Moon to Mars knowledge base: Moon Base phases

Open questions

• Which SCALPSS version flies on Blue Ghost Mission 5? NASA and Firefly say four cameras; a NASA laser order names 'SCALPSS 2.0 flight projects on CS-8 payloads'. Is Firefly's order a CS-8 order, and does its unit carry a laser grid?
• What the four late-2028 SCALPSS units cost: not in public sources.
• The exact landing site (Firefly: near side, 'TBA'): not in public sources.