CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida – A towering new rocket developed by United Launch Alliance (ULA) successfully took flight, marking a significant milestone in space exploration. The Vulcan Centaur rocket, a joint venture by Boeing and Lockheed Martin, launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, becoming the first lunar landing mission to be launched from the United States since 1972.
Carried by the Vulcan Centaur rocket is the Peregrine lander, developed by Astrobotic Technology under a contract with NASA. This lander could potentially be the first commercial lander to touch down on the moon. The launch, which took place at 2:18 a.m. ET on Monday, was an important moment for Astrobotic after years of hard work and challenges.
After an hour of soaring through space, the Peregrine spacecraft separated from the rocket at around 3 a.m. ET and began its journey to the lunar surface. If all goes according to plan, the lander is set to touch down on the moon on February 23.
The Peregrine lander will carry a total of 20 payloads to the moon, with five of them being science instruments from NASA. These instruments will monitor the radiation environment and analyze the composition of the lunar soil, particularly looking for water and hydroxyl molecules. NASA will also study the moon’s super-thin atmosphere during this mission.
Apart from the NASA-sponsored experiments, the other 15 payloads come from various customers, including additional science payloads from different nations and a robotics experiment from a UK-based company. Notably, Peregrine is also carrying human remains on behalf of two commercial space burial companies. This move has faced opposition from the Navajo Nation, the largest group of Native Americans in the United States, as they believe allowing remains to touch down on the lunar surface would be disrespectful to their sacred beliefs.
The launch of ULA’s Vulcan Centaur rocket is a significant event in the aerospace industry. ULA, a joint venture formed by Boeing and Lockheed Martin, envisions that the Vulcan Centaur rocket will replace its Atlas and Delta rockets. This highly anticipated rocket already has about 70 missions lined up.
The successful launch of the Vulcan Centaur rocket paves the way for future commercial lunar landing missions and demonstrates the potential for ULA to compete in the launch industry. It builds on ULA’s success record and incorporates advancements such as two side boosters and US-made rocket engines, replacing the Russian engines previously used on the Atlas rockets.
In conclusion, the launch of the Vulcan Centaur rocket carrying the Peregrine lander represents a significant step in space exploration. It marks the first commercial lunar landing mission to be launched from the United States in nearly fifty years. This achievement not only showcases ULA’s capability to deliver payloads to the moon but also advances NASA’s goals of studying the moon’s environment and potentially establishing a sustainable presence on its surface.