The first American lunar lander in more than 50 years launched towards the moon on Monday, launching a race between private companies to deliver deliveries for NASA and other customers.
Astrobotic Technology’s lander was placed on a completely new rocket, the United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket.
The Vulcan rover blasted across the Florida sky before dawn, setting the spacecraft on a circular path to the Moon, which should culminate in a landing attempt on February 23.
The Pittsburgh company aims to be the first private company to successfully land on the moon, something only four countries have achieved.
However, a company in Houston also has a lander ready to fly, and it could beat it to the moon’s surface by taking a more direct path.
Astrobotic CEO John Thornton said it would be determined that “first to launch and first to land is TPD.”
NASA gave the two companies millions to build and fly lunar landers.
The space agency wants privately owned landers to survey the space before astronauts arrive while providing NASA technical and scientific experiments.
Astrobotic’s deal for the Peregrine lander was valued at $108 million.
The last time the United States launched a lunar landing mission was in December 1972. With the Apollo 17 mission, Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmidt became the 11th and 12th men to walk on the moon, ending an era that remained the pinnacle for NASA.
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2024-01-08 08:37:21
