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Astrobotic ’s first lunar lander is ready for aerodynamic lift - off .
The company denote Tuesday that the lander , called Peregrine , has completed final checkouts and fuel after it was mated with United Launch Alliance ’s Vulcan Centaur rocket last calendar month . All that ’s left now is launch on January 8 — come after , of course , by a historic lunar landing place .
“ If you ’ve been following the lunar diligence , you understand landing on the Moon ’s surface is incredibly difficult , ” Astrobotic CEO John Thornton said in a statement . “ With that sound out , our team has continuously surpass expectation and establish incredible ingenuity during trajectory inspection , spacecraft testing , and major hardware integrations . ”
“ We are quick for launching , and for land . ”
The nigh two - meter tall Peregrine lander will be carry 20 payloads for authorities and commercial customer . The lander , which has a cargo capacity of 90 kilogram , will operate for around 192 hours after it touches down on the lunar surface . During that metre , it will provide power and communication to the consignment . According to a payload exploiter ’s guide on Astrobotic ’s website , the society is charging about $ 1.2 million per kilogram of pot delivered to the lunar aerofoil .
Astrobotic is executing the military mission as part of a $ 79.5 million contract from NASA under the agency ’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services ( CLPS ) political program . The company was also awarded a 2d CLPS contract for its much large Griffin lander ; that mission is await to launch in belated 2024 .
Pittsburgh - based Astrobotic is one of a smattering of commercial players betting that there will be a thriving grocery store for lunar payload speech services . Other companies include Intuitive Machines , which is aiming to set in motion its first lander just days after Peregrine , on January 12 , as well as Firefly Aerospace and Japanese firm ispace , which had a failed lunar launching before this yr .
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After Peregrine lifts off from Cape Canaveral in Florida , the spacecraft will do a series of burns to get it into position to touch down on the moon on February 23 .
Astrobotic is not the only ship’s company with much on the transmission line with January 8 ’s launch : The delegation also strike out the first - ever flight of United Launch Alliance ’s Vulcan Centaur rocket , a vehicle that has been beset by delay that have subsequently push back its first appearance by years . ULA aims to plunge several Vulcan escape next year , and eventually need to complete a multi - billion - dollar bill 38 - launching stack with Amazon for its Project Kuiper planet broadband constellation .
Astrobotic and ULA were originally aim a December 24 launch date , but that was by and by delay to give ULA time to make out a smashed dress rehearsal . That blind drunk clothes was at last complete on December 14 , ULA say .
