St. Charles-native, rocket scientist executing mission to the moon

St. Charles native Benjamin Tackett could soon join an exclusive group of space explorers – if his team can successfully execute their mission to the moon.

Tackett is one of two systems engineers on Blue Ghost Mission 1 by Texas-based space company Firefly Aerospace.

Blue Ghost left Earth on Jan. 15 aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launched from the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After hitching a ride into orbit, the Blue Ghost mission separated from the SpaceX rocket and is scheduled to land on the moon March 2.

Blue Ghost will spend approximately 45 days in transit to the moon, capture imagery of the lunar sunset, test samples and collect data on lunar dusk conditions. It also will deliver 10 payloads of NASA’s science and technology instruments to the surface for NASA, valued at over $100 million.

“It’s going pretty phenomenal so far,” Tackett said, as of Jan. 27.

Blue Ghost mission objective is to complete a soft landing, meaning the lander and payload will touchdown on the moon’s surface without incurring significant damage– a feat which has only been done successfully a handful of times in history.

Blue Ghost is Firefly’s first moon mission, and it would be the first U.S. commercial company to execute a successful soft landing.

Tackett is leader of mission operations and responsible for risk management and change control. He said the Firefly team will be constantly monitoring and operating the Blue Ghost from the Mission Control room in Texas throughout completion.

While in transit, Blue Ghost will capture imagery of the earth and moon, and video of its descent and landing. Tackett said this footage will be used to improve future operations and equipment designs.

The Blue Ghost mission will continue operations for 14 days (equal to one full lunar day) after landing, during which Firefly hopes to capture the first imagery of a sunset from the surface of the moon.

The 60-day mission would be the longest operation of its kind.

While on the moon, Blue Ghost will perform a number of operations, including subsurface drilling, sample collection, radiation measurements and measuring and mitigating lunar dust.

Tackett said they aim to gather critical data about the moon’s geophysical characteristics and the interaction of solar wind and Earth’s magnetic field.

Tackett said there are very few other organizations with the capability of completing a mission of this type, with the only others being SpaceX, NASA and a few national governments.

In recent years, multiple other commercial companies and national governments have made failed attempts at this type of mission. Tackett said the Firefly team has studied those missions closely to learn from their mistakes.

This is not Tackett’s first time working on missions to space, having been a part of Mars missions during his time at NASA Langley Research Center.

Before he was engineering missions to space, Tackett grew up attending St. Charles District 303 schools, including Fox Ridge Elementary, Haines Middle School and North High School. He went on to earn a master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics from Purdue University.

Tackett knew had a love for science and exploring from an early age. He said he was “the kid who always wanted to take stuff apart,” a trait that was first nurtured in his grandfather’s woodshed.

In high school, Tackett was an honor roll student and member of the hockey team. He was named “Most Spirited” at St. Charles North’s 2009 Homecoming, and he recalled weaving through the parade on rollerblades alongside his teammates.

Tackett said he was first drawn to aerospace in high school, where several teachers nurtured his love for science, especially his science teacher Jim Lotarski and physics teacher John Meggesin.

Lotarski is still at St. Charles North teaching Advanced Placement Biology. He was amazed to learn that Tackett is a part of a mission to the moon and was honored to be remembered.

“Ben was a great kid. I remember him being very curious and studious,” Lotarski said. “I’m truly honored to be thought of as having contributed, even a tiny part, to his success.”

Lotarski said he often hears success stories about his former students, but said Tackett’s accomplishment “takes the cake” so far.

“Nobody puts the burden of rocket scientist on any student in their class,” Lotarski jested, “But you try to give them the best shot you can to find their own way and do the things that are going to make them happy.”

Tackett had this tip for young people: The best way to find what you love is to try everything.

Tackett said now is the best time to pursue a career in aerospace. He said as the space industry has developed, careers in aerospace have become more accessible than ever in recent years, with way more avenues into the field than there used to be.

“You don’t have to be the person planning the trajectory anymore. There’s a lot more opportunity than there used to be, from manufacturing to engineering, so pretty much anybody can find their niche,” Tackett said. “Now is the most exciting time to start getting involved in space and space technology.”

For live updates on the mission and to see photos and videos from aboard the lunar lander, visit the Blue Ghost Mission 1 webpage. A livestream of the March 2 landing will be broadcast on the Firefly Aerospace Youtube channel.

Two additional Blue Ghost moon missions are scheduled for 2026 and 2028, which will deliver additional NASA payloads, landers, rovers, orbital vehicles, and domes, to lunar orbit and other locations on the moon’s surface.

The payload deliveries are sponsored by NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. Firefly will transport over $411 million worth of NASA technology to the moon during the Blue Ghost missions.