The United States has marked a historic moment by deploying Peregrine 1, its inaugural lunar lander in over five decades.
The launch took place at the Cape Canaveral Space Station, utilizing the United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) advanced Vulcan Centaur launch system on an early Monday morning in Florida.
The Vulcan soared through the predawn Florida sky, charting a winding course towards the moon. This trajectory is anticipated to lead to an attempted lunar landing on February 23.
We have liftoff! The first American commercial robotic launch to the Moon will deliver science instruments to study its surface, a critical part of preparing for future #Artemis missions. https://t.co/KoOZjXvqjD pic.twitter.com/Vo2Dnn6TwA
— NASA (@NASA) January 8, 2024
The CEO of ULA, Troy Bruno, said “I am so thrilled. I am so proud of this team. Oh my gosh, this has been years of hard work. So far this has been an absolutely beautiful mission. Back to the moon. Our team has done such a good job. This is just … it’s hard to describe.”
The last time the U.S. launched a moon-landing mission was in December 1972. The historic Apollo 17 mission saw astronauts Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt become the 11th and 12th individuals to walk on the lunar surface, marking the pinnacle of NASA’s achievements in that era.
NASA’s innovative Artemis program, named after Apollo’s twin sister in Greek mythology, aims to rekindle lunar exploration by returning astronauts to the moon’s surface in the coming years. The initial phase involves a lunar fly-around mission with four astronauts, a milestone anticipated before the year’s end.
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The launch of the Peregrine 1 mission marked the inaugural flight of the Vulcan rocket, a cutting-edge design by the United Launch Alliance—a collaborative effort between Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
Vulcan is poised to succeed the aging Atlas V and Delta IV rockets. Prior to this, the company utilized the Delta and Atlas launch systems from its partner companies to deploy diverse payloads into orbit.
Separation is confirmed and our scientific instruments continue their voyage to the Moon. For further updates, check @Astrobotic. pic.twitter.com/AQSTGq4R4W
— NASA (@NASA) January 8, 2024
Standing at 202 feet (61 meters), the rocket represents an enhanced iteration of ULA’s highly successful Atlas V, currently being phased out alongside the Delta IV. Blue Origin, led by Jeff Bezos, contributed the two main engines powering the Vulcan.
The ULA’s Vulcan Centaur, a versatile single launch system, adapts to diverse missions with variable solid rocket boosters. Unlike traditional liquid hydrogen and oxygen, it opts for liquid methane and oxygen as fuel.
The upgraded Centaur III upper stage features two RL-10 engines with a thrust of up to 48,000 pounds. Manufactured by Aerojet Rocketdyne, this Centaur stage has a successful history deploying a range of payloads, including military and commercial satellites, as well as transporting US astronauts.
Peregrine carries five NASA payloads and 15 others. One, a shoebox-sized rover from Carnegie Mellon University, is set to become the first US robot to take a spin on the moon.
The mission is also carrying a commercial payload containing the remains of prominent stars from the television show Star Trek as a space memorial.
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