NASA’s Return to the Moon Rescheduled for February 23
The highly anticipated return of NASA to the surface of the Moon, with a lander built by Astrobotic, has been rescheduled due to a delay in the general test of the new ULA (United Launch Alliance) Vulcan carrier rocket. The launch of the Peregrine 1 Mission (TO2-AB) was originally scheduled for Christmas, but has been postponed to January 8.
The robotic lander, which carries scientific and other payloads to the Moon, is scheduled to land in Sinus Viscositatis (Bay of Stickiness), adjacent to the Gruitheisen Domes on the northeastern edge of Oceanus Procellarum (Ocean of Storms). The mission’s scientific objectives include studying the lunar exosphere, the thermal properties and hydrogen abundance of the lunar regolith, as well as testing advanced solar panels.
Peregrine Mission 1 was selected through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, in which NASA contracts with commercial partners to provide the launch and lander. The mission will transport about 10 payloads of different types, with a payload mass capacity of 90 kg.
After an Earth orbit of 3 to 33 days and a cruise to the Moon, the lander is planned to operate on lunar soil for about 192 hours. With the new launch date set for February 23, excitement and anticipation continue to build as NASA’s return to the Moon draws near.