Private American spacecraft sets course for Moon
The United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket, on its maiden voyage, propelled Astrobotic’s Peregrine Lunar Lander into space from Cape Canaveral, marking the first American attempt to land on the Moon in over 50 years.
Early Monday, at 2:18 am, the rocket took off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Mission control erupted in cheers as Peregrine separated from the rocket 48 minutes later, hitting a crucial milestone for the private space exploration sector.
ULA’s President and CEO Tony Bruno expressed his enthusiasm during NASA’s livestream, saying, “I am so thrilled. This has been years of hard work. So far, this has been an absolutely beautiful mission back to the Moon.” Eric Monda, ULA’s strategic planning director, described the launch as “spot on.”
If all goes according to plan, Peregrine is set to land on the Moon’s mid-latitude region, Sinus Viscositatis (Bay of Stickiness), on February 23.
This mission represents a pivotal shift, with the United States turning to the commercial sector under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, aiming to stimulate a broader lunar economy and reduce costs.
Astrobotic’s CEO John Thornton, anticipating the launch, had stated, “Leading America back to the surface of the Moon for the first time since Apollo is a momentous honor.”
NASA, having paid Astrobotic over $100 million for the mission, is fostering partnerships with private companies to enhance the efficiency and affordability of lunar exploration, aligning with the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program.
The controlled Moon landing is an intricate task, with a history of roughly half of all attempts ending in failure. However, ULA’s Vulcan rocket, on its first launch, showcases the company’s claimed 100 percent success rate in over 150 prior launches.
Onboard Peregrine are not only scientific instruments but also a shoebox-sized rover, a physical Bitcoin, and controversially, cremated remains and DNA, including those of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, author Arthur C. Clarke, and a dog.
The Navajo Nation, expressing objections to sending human remains, views it as a desecration of a sacred space. Despite a last-ditch meeting with White House and NASA officials, the objections did not alter the cargo’s course.
The Vulcan rocket’s upper stage, set to orbit the Sun after deploying the lander, carries more late cast members of Star Trek, along with hair samples of Presidents George Washington, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and John F. Kennedy.
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