The US is returning to the moon, but this time, they're going private.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has commissioned a private American company, Astrobotic, to carry out the lunar mission. The six-foot-tall lander, Peregrine, will have no one on board but will instead carry NASA instruments that will be used to study the moon’s environment.
If the mission proves to be successful, Astrobotic could be the first private company to land on the moon.
"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.
John Thornton, the CEO of the Pittsburgh-based company Astrobotic, underscored that "one of the big challenges of what we're attempting here is attempting a launch and landing on the surface [of the] moon for a fraction of what it would otherwise cost."
"Only about half of the missions that have gone to the surface of the moon have been successful. So it's certainly a daunting challenge. I'm going to be terrified and thrilled all at once at every stage of this," he said.
The launch is expected to take off on December 24 at 1:50 a.m. local time from Florida aboard the United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan Centaur rocket. The probe is then expected to touch down on the moon on January 25, 2024.