America selects Astrobotic's spacecraft to explore the Moon

Peregrine, built by Astrobotic Technology Inc., will be the first US spacecraft to land on the Moon since Apollo astronauts set foot on it in 1972.

The first American spacecraft to the Moon for nearly 50 years will be an unmanned lander ship built by Astrobotic Technology Inc. and launched by the United Launch Alliance (ULA) rocket.

Astrobotic was one of nine companies selected in November last year to compete for a $ 2.6 billion project to develop small spacecraft, as well as other technologies to implement 20 discovery missions. Moon surface in the next decade.

Peregrine wreck.(Source: forecastwire.com)

Astrobotic chose the Vulcan rocket , developed by ULA (a joint venture between Boeing Co and Lockheed Martin Corp) to launch Peregrine spacecraft from Cape Canaveral, Florida, in the summer of 2021.

This will be the first time the Vulcan missile is used, and is also the main test of future missiles that will become the "backbone" of the ULA's defense against major rivals like SpaceX and other companies.

The Peregrine will be the first US spacecraft to land on the Moon since the Apollo astronauts landed here in 1972.

In this mission, the ship will carry technology and conduct experiments on the Moon within the framework of the US Aerospace Agency (NASA).

The program will also lay the groundwork for astronaut trips in 2024, which is also the target of the administration of US President Donald Trump. NASA is now promoting the hire of private companies to design, develop and conduct a number of space operations.

This is part of a strategy to help NASA expand in the field of moon exploration, Earth's low-range orbit, paving the way for deeper cosmological research.

Other countries are also racing in the field of exploring the Moon. Last January, a Chinese spacecraft landed in the dark side of the Moon, while Israel Beresheet's unmanned lander made an attempt to explore the Moon in April, although it failed. public.

After being launched in July, India's Chandrayaan-2 self-propelled vehicle is also on its way to the southernmost tip of the Moon, an area that has never been discovered.