NASA has plans to return to the moon more than 50 years after the last Apollo mission.
The United States is finally sending a spacecraft back to the Moon via a lander, named Peregrine.
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Expected to launch this month, the lander will carry Nasa instruments to study the lunar environment.
This will help the US space agency prepare for future manned missions like the upcoming Artemis mission.
Peregrine, developed by the American company Astrobotic, could be the first private spacecraft to land on the Moon.
The mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.
This program aims to stimulate the development of a commercial lunar economy.
”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 Astrobotic CEO John Thornton on Wednesday.
”Only about half of the missions that have gone to the surface of the Moon have been successful,” he said.
”So it’s certainly a daunting challenge. I’m going to be terrified and thrilled all at once at every stage of this.”
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Takeoff is planned for December 24 from Cape Canaveral, Florida and the lander is expected to land sometime in January or February.
Moreover, the descent will be autonomous, meaning it won’t handled by humans.
The lander has to wait until January 25 before attempting landing to ensure that conditions at the target location are just right, Thornton added.
Astrobotic is not the only company NASA has partnered with for lunar exploration.
Other companies include Firefly Aerospace, Draper, and Intuitive Machines.
”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.
”But even if every landing isn’t successful, CLPS already had an impact on the commercial infrastructure needed to establish a lunar economy,” he said.
