First US spacecraft to land on moon since Apollo due to lift off on Monday
A new era of commercial missions to the moon is due to lift off on Monday as NASA gambles on a ride on an untested private lunar lander – alongside human remains and a marketing stunt by a sports drink manufacturer.
Peregrine Mission-1 will be the first US spacecraft with the aim of landing on the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.
But the robotic lander, which is the size of a garden shed, will be under the control of the American company Astrobotic.
NASA has paid the start-up just $108m (£85m) for five scientific instruments to be carried to the moon, a fraction of the cost of launching its own mission.
The Peregrine lunar lander. Pic: AP
Chris Culbert, who heads NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) programme, said the first flight will kickstart more frequent and cost-effective private trips to the moon’s surface.
“Landing on the moon is extremely difficult and success cannot be assured,” he said. “But these companies are technically rigorous and very business savvy. They are resourceful and driven.”
John Thornton, the head of Astrobotic, thanked NASA for “rolling the dice for commercial”.
The mission is on a tight budget.
To cut costs Peregrine will blast off from Cape Canaveral in Florida on the first test flight of the Vulcan Centaur rocket, built by United Launch Alliance.
The Peregrine lunar lander being prepared for encapsulation in a payload. Pic: AP
Instrument designed in UK will study moon’s atmosphere
The launch window opens at 7.18am on Monday morning, UK time, with a good weather forecast. A landing is scheduled for 23 February.
One of the NASA science instruments on board has been designed at the UK’s Open University. It will be used to study the moon’s incredibly thin atmosphere and the movement of water molecules.
Dr Simeon Barber, who led the design team, said it was very different working on a private mission, compared to previous endeavours with space agencies in charge.
“We have had to develop an instrument in a little over a year during a pandemic,” he told Sky News. “That would not have happened under the old way of doing space instrument development.
“But that does allow you to take a bit more risk and make bigger steps forward.”
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Controversy over human remains
The Peregrine mission has attracted controversy because of some of its commercial payloads.
The Navajo Nation of Native Americans has written to NASA demanding the launch should be delayed because there will be capsules on board containing human remains.
The nation’s president, Buu Nygren, said sending cremated remains to the moon “is tantamount to the desecration of this sacred space”.
Joel Kearns, who heads NASA’s exploration science strategy, said the space agency had no control over commercial payloads on board.
But he added: “We take the concerns of the Navajo Nation very seriously and we will be continuing this conversation.”
Mr Thornton, the head of Astrobotic, said he was disappointed the objection had only been made recently, despite the intention of carrying human remains being announced in 2015.
“We have tried to do the right thing at every turn,” he said. “I would have liked to have had this conversation a long time ago. We hope we can find a good way forward.”
Mission will take mementoes to the moon
Eyebrows have also been raised over other commercial payloads.
The delivery company DHL is launching its MoonBox programme, taking mementoes such as photos, novels and even a sample of Mount Everest to the lunar surface.
A can of the energy drink Pocari Sweat will also be on board, containing messages from 80,000 children and a powdered formulation of the product that future astronauts will be able to mix with lunar water.
Astrobotic has shrugged off criticism of the mission’s commercial cargo.
“To be leading America back to the surface of the moon is a momentous honour,” said Mr Thornton. “We have been dreaming of this for 16 years.”
Elon Musk has said he is committed to remaining as Tesla’s chief executive for at least five years, as the electric carmaker faces pressure from consumers and the stock market over his work with Donald Trump’s government.
The world’s richest man said he will cut back on political spending after heavily backing the US president last year.
During a video appearance at the Qatar Economic Forum hosted by Bloomberg, a moderator asked: “Do you see yourself and are you committed to still being the chief executive of Tesla in five years’ time?”
Musk responded: “Yes.”
The moderator added: “No doubt about that at all?”
Musk chuckled and replied: “I can’t be still here if I’m dead.”
Tesla has borne the brunt of the outrage against Musk over his work with Mr Trump as part of his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which implemented cuts across the US federal government.
Asked if the reaction made him think twice about his involvement in politics, Musk said: “I did what needed to be done.
“I’m not someone who has ever committed violence and yet massive violence was committed against my companies, massive violence was threatened against me.”
He added: “Don’t worry: We’re coming for you.”
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Musk pulls back from D.O.G.E. role
Musk spent at least 250 million dollars (£187m) supporting Mr Trump in the presidential campaign, and even held some of his own campaign rallies.
“I’m going to do a lot less in the future,” Mr Musk said. Asked why, he responded: “I think I’ve done enough.”
And he added: “Well, if I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it. I do not currently see a reason.”
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Aspirations to build ‘billions of humanoid robots’
It comes after a Tesla pay package Musk was due, once valued at $56bn (£41.8bn) was stopped by a judge in Delaware.
Musk referred to chancellor Kathaleen St Jude McCormick as an “activist who is cosplaying a judge in a Halloween costume”.
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But he acknowledged his Tesla pay was part of his consideration about staying with Tesla, though he also wanted “sufficient voting control” so he “cannot be ousted by activist investors”.
“It’s not a money thing, it’s a reasonable control thing over the future of the company, especially if we’re building millions, potentially billions of humanoid robots,” he added.
Donald Trump has announced the concept for his Golden Dome missile defence system – which includes plans for the US put weapons in space for the first time.
The “cutting-edge missile defence system” will include “space-based sensors and interceptors”, Mr Trump said, adding the Golden Dome “should be fully operational by the end of my term”.
The system – styled on Israel’s Iron Dome – will be able to detect and stop missiles at all points of attack, from before launch to when they are descending towards a target, the Trump administration has said.
Making the announcement in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Mr Trump told reporters the Golden Dome will be “capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from the other side of the world”.
The US president also said Canada “has called us and they want to be part of it”. “As usual, we help Canada as best we can,” he said.
Trump was flanked by two Golden Dome posters. Pic: AP
He has also pledged that the entire system to be built within the United States. Manufacturers in Georgia, Alaska, Florida and Indiana will all be heavily involved in the project, Mr Trump said.
General Michael Guetlein, who currently serves as the vice chief of space operations, will oversee the Golden Dome’s progress.
The space weapons “represent new and emerging requirements for missions that have never before been accomplished by military space organizations,” General Chance Saltzman, the head of the US Space Force, said at a hearing Tuesday.
Defence secretary Pete Hegseth joined the president for the announcement. Pic: AP
How much will the Golden Dome cost?
Mr Trump said he has allocated $25bn “to help get construction under way,” which he described as an initial down payment.
The total cost will be “about $175bn”, the US president added – but the Congressional Budget Office has put the price much higher.
The space-based components alone could cost as much as $542bn (£405bn) over the next 20 years, it estimated earlier this month.
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Mr Trump’s announcement came shortly after the newly confirmed US Air Force secretary said there’s currently no money allocated for the Golden Dome.
The programme is “still in the conceptual stage,” Troy Meink told senators today.
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