The journey to the Moon began with the first US spacecraft after more than half a century

The new Vulcan Centaur rocket from the United Launch Alliance (ULA) consortium at 2 p.m. 18 minutes local time (9:18 a.m. Lithuanian time) from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on its maiden voyage with the Astrobotic company’s Peregrine lunar probe.

Mission control staff cheered and applauded when the vehicle separated from the rocket without incident following regarding 48 minutes, marking a major milestone for this private enterprise.

ULA President and CEO Tony Bruno celebrated the launch during a live broadcast by the US space agency NASA.

“I’m very excited,” he said. – It was many years of hard work. So far, it’s a very nice mission to the moon.”

Eric Monda, ULA’s director of strategic planning, described the launch as extremely smooth.

“It was very cool. I ran outside to look,” he said.

The landing is scheduled for mid-February.

Race

The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based company is aiming to become the first private company to successfully land on the moon, a feat that only four countries have accomplished.

But one Houston company, Intuitive Machines, also has a flight-ready machine and might beat Peregrine by taking a more direct route to the lunar surface. The launch is planned for February.

“The first launch. The first landing is TBD (to be determined)“said Astrobotic CEO John Thornton, noting that it’s still unclear whether they’ll be the first to land.

NASA gave both companies millions to build and launch their lunar rovers. The space agency wants privately owned craft to explore the moon before astronauts arrive and deliver NASA technology and science experiments, as well as things for other customers.

NASA awarded more than $100 million to Astrobotic. dollars (91.4 million euros),

The last time the United States carried out a mission to land on the Moon was in December 1972. Apollo 17 members Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt became the eleventh and twelfth men to walk on the moon, ending an era that remains one of NASA’s greatest achievements.

The space agency’s new Artemis program, named following Artemis, the twin sister of Apollo in Greek mythology, is set to send astronauts to the surface of the moon within the next few years. First, a flight around the moon will be organized for four astronauts, possibly as early as this year.

Monday’s highlight was the long-delayed first test flight of the Vulcan rocket from the Space Force Station at Cape Canaveral. The 61 m long rocket is essentially an improved version of ULA’s highly successful Atlas V operational rocket. Jeff Bezos’ rocket company, Blue Origin, provided two of Vulcan’s main engines.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the Soviet Union and the United States successfully landed on the moon before pausing the landings. China joined the elite club in 2013, and India in 2023.

But last year, Russian and private Japanese companies also tried to land on the moon. These missions failed. The Israeli non-profit company’s machine crashed in 2019.

Next month, SpaceX will lift off a machine built by Intuitive Machines. Nova-C’s direct, week-long route would allow the two spacecraft to attempt landings at very similar times, days or even hours apart.

The hour-long landing on the moon’s surface – arguably the biggest challenge – will be “exciting, nerve-wracking and terrifying all at once”, Mr Thornton said.