US launches first moon lander in more than 50 years

Astrobotic Technology's Peregrine lunar lander was launched on United Launch Alliance's (ULA) new Vulcan Centaur rocket from a launch station in Florida, USA, at 2:18 a.m. local time (2:18 p.m. Vietnam time), according to AFP.

The Vulcan rocket carrying the lunar lander launched on January 8.

If all goes well, Peregrine will land in a mid-latitude region of the moon called Sinus Viscositatis (also known as the Binding Bay) on February 23. The last time the US carried out a lunar landing mission was in December 1972.

"Leading America back to the lunar surface for the first time since the Apollo program is a momentous honor," Astrobotic CEO John Thornton said ahead of the launch.

To date, only four countries have successfully landed a spacecraft on the moon: the Soviet Union, the United States, China, and India. Of these, the United States is the only country to have sent a man to the Earth's satellite.

Landing on the moon is a difficult task because of the gravity and terrain conditions there. Moreover, this is only the first launch of the Vulcan rocket. The 61-meter-long rocket is an upgrade of the Atlas V rocket that is being gradually replaced.

Photographers captured the rocket launch.

In addition to experiments for NASA, Astrobotic has also transported a variety of other objects for a fee. These include a rock from Mount Everest, a Bitcoin, toy-sized cars, and the ashes of space enthusiasts like Star Trek screenwriter Gene Roddenberry and science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke. Fees range from a few hundred thousand to $1.2 million per kilogram, according to the AP.

NASA has paid Astrobotic $108 million for the mission. Another company, Intuitive Machines, is scheduled to launch a lunar lander in February for a mission to land near the moon’s south pole.

NASA is working on the Artemis program to return astronauts to the moon and prepare for further missions to Mars.

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