Astrobotic has just revealed a flight model of its robotic Peregrine lunar lander, which is scheduled to launch to the moon later this year.
Peregrine is designed to deliver payloads to the lunar surface. Its first mission is scheduled for the fourth quarter of this year, making it the first U.S. spacecraft to land on the moon since the Apollo program, according to an emailed statement from Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic.
Peregrine is flying the first lunar mission for NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. The spacecraft’s unveiling ceremony took place Wednesday (April 20) at the company’s headquarters in the presence of NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and other agency officials.
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Another photo of the Peregrine lunar lander, not yet fully assembled. (Image credit: Astrobotic)
“The construction of this lunar lander is a dream come true,” Astrobotic CEO John Thornton said in a statement. “That’s why our company was founded 15 years ago. It represents the culmination of countless hours of hundreds of people designing and assembling landers, creating the lunar delivery market, and building the facilities and supply chains needed to ensure that. Like Peregrine The success of commercial space missions is well into the future.”
The lunar lander is being assembled at Astrobotic’s Pittsburgh headquarters. The spacecraft is still under construction, with its solar panels, two fuel tanks, payload deck and engines still to be installed, according to SpaceNews.
To ensure that the sensitive parts of the flight model are not contaminated, attendees at the unveiling ceremony were asked to wear white overalls and hairnets into the clean room where Peregrine is being assembled.
Senior officials attend the Peregrine unveiling in Pittsburgh on April 20, 2022. Left to right: Congressman Matt Cartwright, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, NASA Associate Administrator for Science Thomas Zubchen, Astrobotic CEO John Thornton, NASA Associate Administrator for Space Technology Jim Royt and Justine Kasznica, Founding Board Chairs of the Keystone Space Collaborative. (Image credit: Astrobotic)
The unveiling of Peregrine signals that the mission is still on track to launch this year. If all goes according to plan, the spacecraft will deliver 24 payloads to the lunar surface, including 11 scientific instruments from NASA, a rover from Carnegie Mellon University, cargo from several other companies and from Earth Cultural information of surrounding individuals. The payloads have already been integrated into Peregrine’s flight deck and will soon be installed on the lander, according to Astrobotic’s statement.
“Once the integration of Peregrine is complete, it will undergo spacecraft environmental testing before shipping to Cape Canaveral, Florida, to begin final preparations for launch in the fourth quarter. [the fourth quarter of] 2022,” Astrobotic officials said in a statement.
The Peregrine lander will be the first spacecraft to fly on United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan Centaur rocket, the successor to ULA’s Atlas V and Delta IV launchers. The Vulcan’s maiden flight was originally scheduled for 2021, but was delayed due to supply chain issues with the Peregrine lander.
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