Peregrine Lander set for Christmas Eve launch. It will live on Moon for 192 hours

The launch is set to occur from Cape Canaveral, Florida, aboard a United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur rocket.

In Short

• Peregrine Lunar Lander is poised to embark on its pioneering journey
• It is designed to carry scientific instruments and other payloads
• Scientific payload features cutting-edge instruments such as the Laser Retro-Reflector Array

Months after Isro landed a spacecraft on the Moon to make 2023 historic, a private company has set eyes on ending the year on a similar high -- launching a spacecraft to the Moon.

Scheduled for December 24, the Peregrine Lunar Lander is poised to embark on its pioneering journey to explore the Moon.

Developed by Astrobotic Technology, it has been selected through Nasa's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, which partners with commercial entities to deliver payloads to the Moon.

WHAT IS PEREGRINE LUNAR LANDER?

The Peregrine Lunar Lander, standing approximately 1.9 meters tall and spanning 2.5 meters across, is designed to carry scientific instruments and other payloads to the Moon's surface, specifically targeting the Sinus Viscositatis region.

This area, also known as the Bay of Stickiness, lies adjacent to the Gruitheisen Domes near the Oceanus Procellarum, or Ocean of Storms.

The mission's scientific goals are ambitious: to analyze the lunar exosphere, assess the thermal properties and hydrogen content of the lunar regolith, study magnetic fields, examine the radiation environment, and test advanced solar arrays.

THE SCIENCE THAT GOES

Peregrine Mission 1 will transport approximately ten payloads, with a total mass capacity of 90 kilograms.

The scientific payload features cutting-edge instruments such as the Laser Retro-Reflector Array (LRA), Linear Energy Transfer Spectrometer (LETS), Near-Infrared Volatile Spectrometer System (NIRVSS), PROSPECT Ion-Trap Mass Spectrometer (PITMS), and Neutron Spectrometer System (NSS).

Notably, five additional science payloads initially planned for this mission have been reassigned to future lunar delivery missions.

The launch is set to occur from Cape Canaveral, Florida, aboard a United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur rocket.

The launch window extends from December 24 to December 26, with an alternative opportunity in January. Following a period in Earth orbit and a cruise phase to the Moon, the lander will execute a precise descent to the lunar surface, where it is expected to operate for approximately 192 hours.

Published By:
Sibu Kumar Tripathi
Published On:
Dec 6, 2023