First US lunar lander in more than 50 years launched but develops problem on way to moon
lunar lander in more than 50 years rocketed to space on Monday, launching a race for private companies to deliver experiments and other items to the moon. But about seven hours after liftoff, Astrobotic Technology reported the solar panel on the lander wasn't properly pointed toward the sun to generate and store power and it was investigating the issue.
The Pittsburgh company's lander caught a ride on a brand new rocket, United Launch Alliance's Vulcan.
The Vulcan streaked through the Florida predawn sky, putting the spacecraft on a roundabout route to the moon for a landing attempt on February 23.
The company aims to be the first private business to successfully land on the moon, something only four countries have accomplished. But a Houston company also has a lander ready to fly, and could beat it to the lunar surface, taking a more direct path.
NASA gave the two companies millions to build and fly their own lunar landers. The space agency wants the privately owned landers to scope out the place before astronauts arrive while delivering tech and science experiments for NASA, other countries and universities as well as odds and ends for other customers. Astrobotic's contract for the Peregrine lander: USD 108 million.
The last time the US launched a moon-landing mission was in December 1972. Apollo 17's Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt became the 11th and 12th men to walk on the moon, closing out an era that has remained NASA's pinnacle.
The space agency's new Artemis programme — named after the twin sister of Apollo in Greek mythology — looks to return astronauts to the moon's surface within the next few years.
