For the first time in more than 50 years. A new rocket, the Vulcan Centaur, from the ULA industrial group, which brings together Boeing and Lockheed Martin, will take off from Florida this Monday, January 8, with the first American plane that will attempt to land on the Moon. This is a first step for humans to return to our satellite.
This trip is an opportunity to test new technologies, including the Peregrine lunar lander, developed by the start-up Astrobotic with the support of NASA, which commissioned this company to transport scientific equipment to the Moon. 108 million dollars.
“NASA does not want to develop its own capacity to land on the moon for cargo, for equipment, for logistics. They call the private sector and decide to give an envelope, a certain amount, and say ‘what are you capable of doing?’ for that amount?’, Marie-Ange Sanguy, editor-in-chief of Espace & Exploration, explains to BFMTV.
Moon landing on February 23
Approximately 50 minutes after takeoff, Peregrine must separate from the rocket: Astrobotic will turn on the device and attempt to establish communication. If all goes well, the lander will continue its route to our natural satellite.
Once in lunar orbit, the probe will wait until lighting conditions are adequate to attempt to land. The planned landing site is on the near side of the Moon, near mysterious domes formed by lava but which scientists are struggling to explain.
If Astrobotic manages to land on the Moon as planned on February 23, it could become the first company to achieve this feat. In recent years, Israeli and Japanese companies have attempted to land on the moon, but these missions ended in accidents.
This trip should inaugurate a series of missions supported by the US space agency, which wants to depend partly on the private sector for its lunar ambitions.
Ashes and criticism
In addition to its scientific importance, this trip also has a commemorative aspect. It carries the ashes or DNA of dozens of people, including those of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. A partnership with the company Celestis, specialized in “commemorative space flights”.
“I thought this was something I had to do for my mother. I can’t think of a better way to pay tribute to her,” says a woman whose ashes of a loved one are being transported. “My father created this show about going where no one had gone before,” adds Gene Roddenberry’s son.
Sending these ashes to the Moon aroused the anger of the Navajo Native American tribe, which denounced the “desecration of a sacred place”, without, however, obtaining a postponement of the launch.
La Lune “fait partie de notre héritage spirituel, un object de révérence et de respect” tenant une “position sacrée dans beaucoup de cultures amérindiennes”, a écrit Buu Nygren, le président de la nation Navajo, l’une des most important tribus aux USA.
Source: BFM TV
