Historic Blast Off: First U.S. Moon Lander in 50 Years Takes to the Skies

The race to the moon is back on as the first U.S. lunar lander in over 50 years took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida on Monday. Astrobotic Technology’s lander hitched a ride on United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket, marking the beginning of a new era for private space companies delivering payloads for NASA and other clients. The spacecraft is expected to attempt a landing on the moon on February 23 after a roundabout route.

Astrobotic CEO John Thornton expressed his excitement, stating, “We are on our way to the moon!” The Pittsburgh-based company aims to become the first private business to successfully land on the moon, a feat achieved only by four countries so far. However, a Houston-based company also has a lander ready for flight, potentially beating Astrobotic to the lunar surface by taking a more direct path.

Both companies received millions of dollars in funding from NASA to build and launch their own lunar landers. NASA intends for these privately owned landers to conduct preliminary investigations before astronauts arrive, while also delivering NASA technology, scientific experiments, and other cargo for various customers. Astrobotic’s contract for its Peregrine lander is valued at $108 million.

The last time the U.S. launched a moon-landing mission was in December 1972, when the Apollo 17 mission saw Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt become the 11th and 12th men to walk on the moon. NASA’s Artemis program, named after Apollo’s twin sister in Greek mythology, aims to send astronauts back to the moon’s surface in the coming years, potentially as early as the end of this year.

The launch of the Vulcan rocket was a significant highlight of Monday’s mission. The rocket, measuring 202 feet in height, is an upgraded version of ULA’s successful Atlas V. The Vulcan’s two main engines were provided by Jeff Bezos’ rocket company, Blue Origin. ULA’s CEO, Tory Bruno, expressed his immense joy and declared the mission a success once the lander separated from the rocket’s upper stage.

While the Soviet Union and the U.S. achieved a series of successful moon landings in the 1960s and 70s, other countries have since joined this elite club. China accomplished a moon landing in 2013, and India followed suit in 2023. However, there have been recent unsuccessful attempts, with landers from Russia and a private Japanese company crashing into the moon in the past year. An Israeli nonprofit also crashed in 2019.

Next month, SpaceX will contribute to the race by launching a lander from Intuitive Machines. Both Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines could potentially attempt to land on the moon within days or even hours of each other, as the Nova-C lander takes a more direct one-week route.

The most significant challenge of the mission will be the hour-long descent to the lunar surface, which Astrobotic’s CEO described as “exciting, nail-biting, terrifying all at once.”

In addition to delivering NASA experiments, Astrobotic has established its own freight business. The Peregrine lander is packed with various items, including a chip of rock from Mount Everest, toy cars from Mexico that will navigate the lunar surface, and the ashes and DNA of deceased space enthusiasts like “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry and science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke.

The launch faced objections from the Navajo Nation, who raised concerns about the human remains on board, considering it a desecration of a celestial body held sacred by Native Americans. While the objections came too late for the December launch, Astrobotic promised to find a way forward with the Navajo for future missions.

One of the companies that purchased space on the lander, Celestis, emphasized that no single culture or religion owns the moon and should not have the power to veto a mission. More remains are located on the rocket’s upper stage, which has been placed in a perpetual orbit around the sun, reaching as far as Mars.

For this first flight, breaking even financially is not the primary goal for Astrobotic. Thornton explained, “A lot of people’s dreams and hopes are riding on this.”