On Monday morning, ULA’s Vulcan launch vehicle headed towards the moon. Also on board the moon rocket was the Peregrine lunar lander, built by the private company Astrobotic, which, according to the US space agency, exemplifies the growing role of the private sector in space exploration.
The lander was sent towards its companion in an extremely elongated orbit, through which the lander is expected to land on the surface of the Moon on February 23.
Both the lunar lander and the used launch vehicle were produced under a NASA grant program. The agency hopes to stimulate private sector interest in developing space technology by securing orders and sharing its knowledge. In the long term, NASA could delegate an increasing portion of its development and construction work to private companies to make near-Earth mission planning more cost-effective.
Of the 20 cargo units on board the Peregrine, this time the American space agency has five research instruments. Among other things, they allow us to search for water ice on the surface of the companion and under the regolith, to measure the level of radiation, the magnetic field of the Moon and to map the gaseous composition of the extremely thin exosphere surrounding the companion. . Taken together, the findings could help mitigate risks associated with future astronaut landings on the Moon and extraction of its mineral resources.
In addition, the lunar lander is expected to carry five small robots, less than 60 grams, built by the Mexican space agency, to the companion’s surface. If successful, they would be the first Latin American scientific instruments to reach the moon. In addition to Mexico and the United States, research equipment from four other countries can be found on board the lunar lander.
Artist’s impression of the Astrobotic private lunar lander. Author/Source: Astrobotic
With a slightly more controversial payload, Peregrine will deliver a Bitcoin-shaped storage device to the moon, with one Bitcoin stored on it. In the Japanese capsule “Moon Dreams” the wishes and messages of 185,872 children are preserved.
With the successful launch of Vulcan, the United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed, was able to demonstrate that it can offer an alternative to the already proven SpaceX, at least in some applications.
In addition to Peregrine, NASA hopes that two other companies, Firefly and Intuitive Machines, will be able to deliver their cargo to the Moon this year, in addition to Astrobotic. Along with the newly launched mission, the agency has a total of six monthly missions supported by private companies.
Among the countries that have managed to land their probe on the Moon this century, China and India have managed to do so. However, Russia and Israel lost contact with their probes and apparently crashed.
2024-01-08 12:53:00
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