US private company Astrobotic plans to make history by landing its spacecraft, Peregrine, on the Moon on January 25. The mission, part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, aims to study the lunar environment in preparation for NASA’s Artemis manned missions.
Under the CLPS program, Astrobotic and other US companies are contracted to send scientific experiments and technologies to the Moon. The fixed-price contracts help to develop a lunar economy by providing transport services at a lower cost.
Astrobotic CEO John Thornton has emphasized the challenge of attempting a launch and landing on the Moon for a fraction of the usual cost. However, the company is confident that it can achieve this feat.
The launch of Peregrine is scheduled for December 24 from Florida aboard the inaugural flight of the Vulcan Centaur rocket. After a few days, the probe will reach lunar orbit, but it will wait until January 25 to attempt landing when the light conditions are optimal.
The descent will be autonomously performed by the spacecraft, with monitoring from Astrobotic’s control center. Previous attempts by private companies such as ispace and Israel to land on the Moon have been unsuccessful, highlighting the difficulty of the task.
Astrobotic is not the only company contracted by NASA for lunar missions. Others, including Firefly Aerospace, Draper, and Intuitive Machines, have also signed agreements. NASA’s CLPS program acknowledges the risks involved and the possibility of mission failures, but sees these as necessary for the commercial infrastructure required to establish a lunar economy.
The ultimate goal of NASA’s Artemis program is to establish a base on the surface of the Moon. The data collected from Astrobotic’s mission will contribute to this ambitious undertaking. As the scheduled date approaches, excitement is building as people anticipate the historic landing of Peregrine and the progress it represents for space exploration.
“Zombie enthusiast. Subtly charming travel practitioner. Webaholic. Internet expert.”