Washington (AFP) – More than 50 years after the last Apollo mission, the United States will attempt to land a craft on the Moon on January 25, according to the CEO of Astrobotic, a private company hoping to achieve this historic feat.
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The lander, named Peregrine, will be unmanned and was developed by American company Astrobotic. CEO John Thornton stated that it will carry NASA instruments to study the lunar environment in preparation for NASA’s Artemis missions.
NASA initiated the CLPS program to commission US companies to send scientific experiments and technologies to the Moon several years ago, with the goal of developing a lunar economy and providing more cost-effective transport services.
“One of the big challenges of what we’re attempting here is attempting a launch and landing on the surface Moon for a fraction of what it would otherwise cost,” said Thornton.
The launch is scheduled for December 24 from Florida aboard the inaugural flight of the new rocket Vulcan Centaur by ULA. The probe will then take “a few days” to reach lunar orbit and attempt landing on January 25.
The descent will be autonomous, but monitored from the company’s control center.
In addition to Astrobotic, NASA has signed contracts with other companies for similar missions.
“NASA leadership is aware of the risks and has accepted that some of these missions might not succeed,” said Chris Culbert, the CLPS program manager.
With its Artemis program, NASA aims to establish a base on the surface of the Moon.
© 2023 AFP
