12/28/2023
NASA’s return to the surface of the Moon, half a century after the Apollo missions and with a lander built by Astrobotic, has been rescheduled from January 25 to February 23.
The launch was scheduled for Christmas, but the need for more time for a general test of the new Vulcan carrier rocket from ULA (United Launch Alliance) delayed the launch of the Peregrine 1 (TO2-AB) mission, or Peregrine lander, to January 8 lunar.
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This robotic lander carries scientific and other payloads to the Moon and will land on the lunar surface in the Sinus Viscositatis (Bay of Stickiness), adjacent to the Gruitheisen Domes on the northeastern edge of the Oceanus Procellarum (Ocean of Storms).
The scientific objectives of the mission are to study the lunar exosphere, the thermal properties and hydrogen abundance of the lunar regolith, the magnetic fields and the radioactive environment. Advanced solar panels will also be tested.
Peregrine Mission 1 was selected through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, in which NASA contracts with a commercial partner, in this case Astrobotic, to provide the launch and lander.
Peregrine Mission 1 is approximately 1.9 m tall and approximately 2.5 m wide. It is a box-shaped main body that rests on four support legs, NASA reports.
The mission will carry approximately 10 payloads of different types; The lander has a payload capacity of 90 kg.
The scientific payload includes the Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA), Linear Energy Transfer Spectrometer (LETS), Volatile Near-Infrared Spectrometer System (NIRVSS), PROSPECT Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer (PITMS), and the of neutron spectrometer (NSS).
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After a 3- to 33-day Earth orbit and Moon cruise, followed by a 4- to 25-day lunar orbit phase, the lander is expected to operate on lunar soil for approximately 192 hours.
2023-12-29 03:11:38
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