
As part of
NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander launched on
United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan rocket last month from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. It is carrying NASA scientific instruments as part of its Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative and has about a 46-day journey to reach the lunar surface.
Once on the Moon, NASA instruments will study the lunar exosphere, thermal properties of the lunar regolith (a region of loose unconsolidated rock and dust that sits atop a layer of bedrock), hydrogen abundances in the soil at the landing site, and conduct radiation environment monitoring. NASA says the five science and research payloads aboard the lander will help the agency better understand planetary processes and evolution, search for evidence of water and other resources, and support long-term, sustainable human exploration.
NASA administrator Bill Nelson said: “The first CLPS launch has sent payloads on their way to the Moon, with a mission that represents a giant leap for humanity as we prepare to return to the lunar surface for the first time in over half a century.
“These high-risk missions will not only conduct new science at the Moon, but also support a growing commercial space economy while showing the strength of American technology and innovation. We have so much science to learn through CLPS missions, science that will help us better understand the evolution of our solar system and shape the future of human exploration for the ‘Artemis Generation’.”
Peregrine is scheduled to land on the Moon on Friday 23 February 2024 and will spend about 10 days gathering valuable scientific data and helping pave the way for the first woman and first person of colour to explore the Moon under the Artemis programme.
More details about NASA’s CLPS initiative can be found at the website
here.