The United States achieved a historic milestone with the deployment of Peregrine 1, its inaugural lunar lander in over five decades. The launch took place at the Cape Canaveral Space Station, utilising the United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) advanced Vulcan Centaur launch system on an early Monday morning in Florida.
The Vulcan soared through the predawn Florida sky, charting a winding course towards the moon, with an anticipated lunar landing attempt on February 23.
ULA CEO Troy Bruno expressed his excitement, stating, “I am so thrilled. I am so proud of this team. Oh my gosh, this has been years of hard work. So far this has been an absolutely beautiful mission. Back to the moon. Our team has done such a good job. This is just … it’s hard to describe.”
The last U.S. moon landing mission took place in December 1972 during the historic Apollo 17 mission, marking the end of NASA’s achievements in that era. The Peregrine 1 mission, launched as part of NASA’s Artemis programme, aims to revitalise lunar exploration with plans to return astronauts to the moon’s surface in the coming years.
The launch of the Peregrine 1 mission also marked the maiden flight of the Vulcan rocket, an advanced design by the United Launch Alliance, a collaboration between Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Standing at 202 feet (61 metres), the rocket is set to replace the ageing Atlas V and Delta IV rockets.
Powered by two main engines from Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, the Vulcan Centaur is a versatile single-launch system capable of adapting to diverse missions. Unlike traditional liquid hydrogen and oxygen, it utilises liquid methane and oxygen as fuel.
The upgraded Centaur III upper stage, featuring two RL-10 engines, has a successful history of deploying various payloads, including military and commercial satellites, as well as transporting U.S. astronauts. Peregrine carries five NASA payloads and 15 others, including a shoebox-sized rover from Carnegie Mellon University, set to become the first U.S. robot to explore the moon.
Additionally, the mission includes a commercial payload containing the remains of stars from the television show Star Trek as part of a space memorial.