but it was already dark across Europe when it lifted off. As it zoomed across the sky to reach space, it produced a mesmerizing blue spiral that left many Europeans scratching their heads.

"It has been an honor to enable science and technology experiments that support future missions to the moon, Mars and beyond.

The solar-powered Blue Ghost went dark on Sunday evening (March 16) after the sun set on its lunar locale, bringing an end to a highly successful two weeks of surface operations on the moon.