Ride a Lockheed Martin-Boeing joint venture rocket
Unmanned lunar lander enters lunar orbit and settles into orbit
When the landing is successful on the 23rd of next month, it is the first civilian case.
Commercial ‘moon delivery’ missions such as time capsules are also carried out.
An American space company launched a launch vehicle to attempt a moon landing for the first time in private company history. For the United States, this was the first lunar lander launched in half a century.
At 2:18 a.m. on the 8th (local time), the US private space company ‘Astrobotic’ launched the unmanned lunar lander ‘Peregrine’ using the ‘Vulcan Centaur’ launch vehicle of United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing. It was loaded and launched. About 50 minutes after launch, it successfully separated from the launch vehicle, communicated successfully with the ground station, and settled into orbit to enter the moon.
Peregrine’s goal is to land at Sinus Viscocitatis (Bay of Stickiness) near 35 degrees north latitude on the moon on the 23rd of next month after sailing for over a month. Here, Peregrine plans to investigate water, ice, and radiation in the lunar soil through five research equipment from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
If this launch is successful, it will be the first successful lunar landing by a private company in history. In 2019 and last year, private companies in Israel and Japan attempted to land on the moon, but failed.
Peregrine’s mission, unlike previous launches led by NASA, has a commercial purpose of delivering packages in addition to lunar exploration. Peregrine included more than 180,000 time capsules containing messages from children around the world, as well as cremated human remains and DNA. The cost of loading cargo is $1.2 million per kg. A contract worth $108 million was signed with NASA in exchange for sending scientific equipment to the moon.
This launch is also the United States’ first attempt at landing on the moon in 52 years. The last time the United States launched a lunar lander was Apollo 17 in 1972.
With this launch as a signal, the US ‘moon rush’ is expected to begin in earnest. This launch is the first launch of NASA’s ‘Commercial Lunar Delivery Program (CLPS)’ as part of the ‘Artemis Project’, the United States’ manned lunar exploration plan. There are eight launches planned from 2025 to 2026.
As CLPS’ second mission, the launch of ‘Intuitive Machines’ is scheduled for mid-next month. Since this company chose a faster orbit than Peregrine, the two companies are expected to compete for the title of the world’s first private company to land on the moon.
In November of this year, NASA’s ‘Artemis 2’ is scheduled to return after flying into lunar orbit carrying four astronauts.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.