After 50 years, an American mission to the Moon has successfully taken off

This Monday, January 8th, it took off successfully the first American spacecraft to attempt to land on the Moon in more than half a century. On this occasion, he did so within the framework of a private mission.

The rocket Vulcan CentaurFrom United Launch Alliance (ULA)lifted off on its maiden voyage from the Cape Canaveral space station in Florida at 02:18 local time (07:18 GMT).

The ship carries the lunar module PilgrimFrom Astroboticwhose landing is scheduled for mid-or late February.

If all goes according to plan, Peregrine will land on the moon in a mid-latitude region of the Moon call Viscosified breastor Stickiness Bay, February 23rd.

Mission control personnel clapped and cheered when, approximately 48 minutes later, the the lunar lander safely separated from the rocketa key milestone for this private company.

The President and CEO of ULA, Tony Brunopraised the launch in the live broadcast by the JAR.

“I’m very excited,” he said, “it’s been years of hard work.” And she added: “So far it’s been one beautiful mission return to the Moon.”

It brings the United States back to the surface of our natural satellite – and for the first time since Apollo mission– “It’s a momentous honor,” said John Thornton, executive director of Astrobotic.

How many missions have reached the Moon

So far, only a few few national space agencies they managed to do a moon landing soft on the Earth’s natural satellite.

THE Soviet Union was the first, in 1966followed by United States of Americawhich is still the only country that brought humans to the moon.

China has successfully touched the surface three times in the last ten years, while India she was the last to accomplish the feat on her second attempt, last year.

The United States turns to private sector in an attempt to stimulate a broader lunar economy and send your ship at low cost, under the program Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS).

Moon landings: difficulties, failures and projects

The space agency JAR paid to Astrobotic more than 100 million dollars for the missionwhile another contracting company, Intuitive machinesbased in Houston, Mira launch your rocket in February and land near the Moon’s south pole.

“We believe it will allow that more profitable and faster trips on the lunar surface to prepare for Artemis,” said Joel Kearns, NASA deputy associate administrator for exploration.

Artemis It is the program led by JAR to recover astronauts to the lunar surface at the end of this decadein preparation for the future missions to Mars.

Controlled landing on the Moon is a challenge as about half of all attempts fail. failure.

In the absence of an atmosphere that permits the use of parachutes, a spacecraft must navigate through a treacherous terrain using only its thrusters to slow its descent.

The private missions of Israel and Japanas well as a recent attempt by the Russian space agency, they failed.

although the Japanese Space Agency aims to achieve the landing of its SLIM module launched last September in mid-January.

What complicates things even more is the fact that it is the first takeoff of ULA’s Vulcanalthough the company boasts of having a 100% success rate in its 150+ launches previous.

The company, a joint venture between Lockheed Martin AND Boeingintends the new rocket to have reusable first stage propulsion engines and therefore try to save costs.

On board the Pilgrim There is a set of scientific instruments that will be used to study the radiation and the composition of the lunar surfacewhich would pave the way for the return of astronauts.

Also bring a vehicle the size of a shoebox built by Carnegie Mellon University, a physical bitcoin and, somewhat controversially, cremated remains and DNAincluding those of Creator of Star TrekGene Roddenberry, legendary science fiction author and scientist Arthur C. Clarke et dog.