{"id":24120,"date":"2024-01-07T18:59:07","date_gmt":"2024-01-07T10:59:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/vulcan-successfully-launches-peregrine-lunar-lander-on-inaugural-flight-2\/"},"modified":"2024-01-07T18:59:07","modified_gmt":"2024-01-07T10:59:07","slug":"vulcan-successfully-launches-peregrine-lunar-lander-on-inaugural-flight-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/vulcan-successfully-launches-peregrine-lunar-lander-on-inaugural-flight-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Vulcan successfully launches Peregrine lunar lander on inaugural flight"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>United Launch Alliance (ULA) has done its part in returning the US to the Moon with the launch of Astrobotic\u2019s <em>Peregrine<\/em> lunar lander atop its brand-new Vulcan Centaur rocket.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Cert-1, The first-ever mission for Vulcan, lifted off on Monday, Jan. 8 at 2:18 AM EST (7:18 AM UTC) during a 45-minute launch window. It took off out of Space Launch Complex(SLC) 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"ULA Launches the First Vulcan Centaur with the Peregrine Moon Lander\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rtPoAUuYXHo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\" name=\"fitvid0\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Vulcan was expected to fly in 2023 on Dec. 24, until routine problems with the ground equipment caused only a partial wet dress rehearsal (WDR). The chief executive of ULA, Tory Bruno said, \u201cI\u2019d like a FULL WDR before our first flight, so XMAS eve is likely out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This set the launch date to Jan. 8, 2024. Vulcan Centaur was rolled out 500 meters on the Vulcan Launch Platform on Friday, Jan. 5 for what was the final time before launch.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-1\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: static; visibility: visible; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=aaronmc286&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1744016245765054974&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasaspaceflight.com%2F2024%2F01%2Fvulcan-launch-peregrine-inaugural-flight%2F&amp;sessionId=0115fbe89dd230682812663378594440bd8bd553&amp;siteScreenName=NASASpaceflight&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\" data-tweet-id=\"1744016245765054974\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1783494838730116087=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Vulcan is poised on the pad and the launch team is doing final preparations for the inaugural launch to send the Astrobiotic Peregrine lander on a journey to the moon. @NASASpaceflight launch preview: https:\/\/t.co\/odxvqIkB6T#CountdownToVulcan pic.twitter.com\/pdAgIZ02RJ<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Julia Bergeron (@julia_bergeron) January 7, 2024<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Vulcan Overview<br \/>\n<\/b><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"widget-title penci-border-arrow\">See Also<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>ULA \u2013 Delta, Atlas, Vulcan<\/li>\n<li>     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle <\/li>\n<li>L2 ULA\/Blue Origin Section<\/li>\n<li>Click here to Join L2<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>After nearly a decade of development, Vulcan Centaur launched two payloads using the VC2S variant. The VC2S variant of Vulcan represents a Vulcan Centaur with two solid rocket boosters (SRB) and a standard fairing. This configuration can take <em>Peregrine<\/em> to the lunar surface and Enterprise Flight to deep space.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Vulcan is a two-stage rocket that uses liquefied natural gas and liquid oxygen on the first stage and liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen on Centuar V, the second stage. The first stage engines are two of Blue Origin\u2019s BE-4 engines that have been in development since 2011. This will be BE-4\u2019s first in-flight mission and will move ULA from Russian dependency with the RD-180 engines on Atlas V to American-made engines on Vulcan.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Attached to the side of the booster are two graphite-epoxy motors (GEM) 63XL SRBs built by Northrup Grumman. These will be the longest monolithic SRBs ever flown and will be a considerable upgrade to the GEM 63 SRBs used on Atlas V.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-2\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=aaronmc286&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-2&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1743618426055147864&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasaspaceflight.com%2F2024%2F01%2Fvulcan-launch-peregrine-inaugural-flight%2F&amp;sessionId=0115fbe89dd230682812663378594440bd8bd553&amp;siteScreenName=NASASpaceflight&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\" data-tweet-id=\"1743618426055147864\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1783494838730116087=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Five generations and over three decades of reliable #propulsion provided by our GEM #solidrocket boosters.<\/p>\n<p>At 2:18 a.m. EST Monday, January 8, two GEM 63XL boosters will help power the inaugural launch of @ulalaunch\u2019s #VulcanRocket and @astrobotic\u2019s Peregrine lunar lander. pic.twitter.com\/vVAF7xRxYR<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Northrop Grumman (@northropgrumman) January 6, 2024<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The second stage will use two RL-10 engines built by Aerojet Rocketdyne. These are the same upper-stage engines that Atlas V used and are proven to be extremely reliable. The standard 15.5-meter payload fairings will be aerodynamically covering the payloads during assent until second-stage ignition where they will be jettisoned.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Vulcan is 61.6 meters tall and 5.4 meters in diameter. It will weigh 663,367 kilograms when fully loaded on the launch pad, and will produce 8.9 meganewtons of thrust at liftoff. This flight of Vulcan will be heading to a Trans-lunar Injection(TLI) to get a payload to the Moon and then change to a heliocentric orbit. This means with the two SRB Vulcan will be able to deliver up to 6,300 kilograms to the Moon. <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-97505 size-full aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Vulcan-Explained.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2307\" height=\"1330\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Vulcan-Explained.jpg 2307w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Vulcan-Explained-350x202.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Vulcan-Explained-607x350.jpg 607w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Vulcan-Explained-768x443.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Vulcan-Explained-1920x1107.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Vulcan-Explained-1170x675.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2307px) 100vw, 2307px\"><\/p>\n<p><b>Flight Profile<\/b><\/p>\n<p>ULA began loading the liquified natural gas, liquid hydrogen, and liquid oxygen propellant onto Vulcan late Jan. 7 to ensure full load by Jan.8 at 2:18 AM EST (7:18 AM UTC).&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Vulcan Cert-1 Mission Profile\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Ai-AVMJdzVQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\" name=\"fitvid1\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Then, the BE-4 engines ignited right before liftoff at T-5 seconds and Vulcan started to gain altitude at T+1 second. It then began the pitch\/yaw maneuver shortly after clearing the&nbsp;tower.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Vulcan reached Mach one at T+1 minute and nine seconds before reaching max-Q or the maximum aerodynamic stress Vulcan will have to endure through its entire flight. Then around 35 seconds later, the GEM 63XL SRBs separated from the vehicle and were jettisoned.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-3\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=aaronmc286&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-3&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1666620288493035520&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasaspaceflight.com%2F2024%2F01%2Fvulcan-launch-peregrine-inaugural-flight%2F&amp;sessionId=0115fbe89dd230682812663378594440bd8bd553&amp;siteScreenName=NASASpaceflight&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\" data-tweet-id=\"1666620288493035520\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1783494838730116087=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">A big congrats to our partner @ULALaunch on #VulcanRocket&#8217;s Flight Readiness Firing test. We\u2019re proud to be part of this milestone. Did you know that each BE-4 engine provides 550,000 pounds of thrust at 100% power level? #CountdowntoVulcan https:\/\/t.co\/spoT8mFXlq<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Blue Origin (@blueorigin) June 8, 2023<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The BE-4 engines continued to burn until booster engine cutoff at T+ 4:59. Six seconds later, the first stage was done with flight and separated from the second stage. Centaur V then started its two RL-10 engines at T+5:15. Once the engines were lit, the fairings separated revealing the payloads at T+5:23.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Centaur continued its initial burn for a little over 10 minutes until T+15:45 into flight. At this point, Vulcan entered a coast phase, which lasted until&nbsp; T+43 minutes 35 seconds when the RL-10s relit for course correction to TLI.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>At T+47:37 the second stage shut down once again and coasted for just under three minutes. After this coast phase, the <em>Peregrine<\/em> lunar lander is placed in a highly elliptical orbit where it will then be released to intercept the Moon.<\/p>\n<p>After <em>Peregrine\u2019s<\/em> separation, Centaur relit one final time at T+1 hour 18 minutes and 24 seconds for 20 seconds to place Celestis Memorial Spaceflight\u2019s \u2018Enterprise Flight\u2019 payload into a heliocentric orbit. The official mission end is anticipated at T+4:24:44<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-97385\" class=\"size-full wp-image-97385\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/cert1_flightprofile_externalwebsite_short-01-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1978\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/cert1_flightprofile_externalwebsite_short-01-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/cert1_flightprofile_externalwebsite_short-01-350x270.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/cert1_flightprofile_externalwebsite_short-01-453x350.jpg 453w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/cert1_flightprofile_externalwebsite_short-01-768x593.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/cert1_flightprofile_externalwebsite_short-01-1920x1484.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/cert1_flightprofile_externalwebsite_short-01-1170x904.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-97385\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The flight profile for the Cert-1 mission. (Credit: ULA)<\/p>\n<p><b>Enterprise Flight<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Celestis Memorial Spaceflights are providing the opportunity to send DNA or cremated remains to deep space. The service called Voyager Memorial Spaceflight promises to send a piece of you or a loved one on a journey to 297 million kilometers into space.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>There was a memorial service and dinner for the friends family and loved ones who are sending their late friend or family member on one final journey before the launch on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>Celestis Memorial Spaceflights have been around since 1997 and have launched on many different vehicles including Pegasus-XL, Falcon 1, Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and now have flown on Vulcan. Using Centaur V, ULA put the DNA and remains on a journey into deep space just as expected so they can rest among the stars.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Peregrine Mission One<\/p>\n<p>Astrobotic\u2019s <em>Peregrine<\/em> lunar lander attempted to be one of the first US Moon landings since the end of the Apollo program. In 2019, Astrobotic was selected by NASA\u2019s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) and given a 79.5 million dollar contract to build <em>Peregrine<\/em> to study the Moon before humans return to it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-97506\" class=\"wp-image-97506 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/PeregrineEncap1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"798\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/PeregrineEncap1.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/PeregrineEncap1-350x233.png 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/PeregrineEncap1-526x350.png 526w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/PeregrineEncap1-768x511.png 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/PeregrineEncap1-1170x778.png 1170w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/PeregrineEncap1-585x390.png 585w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/PeregrineEncap1-263x175.png 263w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-97506\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Peregrine lander beginning encapsulation inside the fairing. Credit: ULA)<\/p>\n<p><em>Peregrine<\/em> had 20 payloads on board, with five of them coming from NASA\u2019s CLPS. These payloads include specific scientific projects with the main goals of looking for water ice in the lunar regolith and gaining more data on the radiation environment, the lunar exosphere, and the magnetic fields on the surface of the Moon. Some payloads are there to represent humanity with art and historical artifacts.<\/p>\n<p>Around 40 minutes after separation from Centaur, <em>Peregrine<\/em> came to life and began receiving signals from Astrobotic\u2019s mission control center in Pittsburgh, PA. There were small adjustment maneuvers that were performed in Earth\u2019s orbit to check systems for <em>Peregrine\u2019s<\/em> lunar landing that were successful. After those were confirmed, <em>Peregrine<\/em> tried to aim its solar panels toward the sun to charge its lithium-ion battery for the long coast to the Moon, but there was an anomaly that stopped it from performing the entire maneuver.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>After a known communications blackout, the Astrobotic team corrected the anomaly. However, it was found that there was a failure within the propulsion system. This failure caused a critical amount of propellant loss and caused the landing on the Moon to be aborted.<\/p>\n<p>The best hypothesis of what went wrong came from Astrobotic on Tuesday, Jan. 9. It is believed that a valve failed to reseal which caused helium to increase the pressure in the oxidizer tank. This led to a rupture of the tank causing the propellant leak. They added that there is no evidence that the problem stemmed from Vulcan\u2019s launch.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-4\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: static; visibility: visible; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=aaronmc286&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-4&amp;features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1744835489838854215&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasaspaceflight.com%2F2024%2F01%2Fvulcan-launch-peregrine-inaugural-flight%2F&amp;sessionId=0115fbe89dd230682812663378594440bd8bd553&amp;siteScreenName=NASASpaceflight&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\" data-tweet-id=\"1744835489838854215\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1783494838730116087=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Update #8 for Peregrine Mission One: pic.twitter.com\/gyH4W6B3cc<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Astrobotic (@astrobotic) January 9, 2024<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>While the Moon landing had officially been aborted, the Astrobotic engineers continued to find ways to increase the amount of time <em>Peregrine<\/em> could survive in space. Propellant loads increased from a worrying 40 hours on Jan. 9 to over 52 hours on Jan. 12 due to optimizations with <em>Peregrine<\/em>.&nbsp; As the days continued the propellant leak slowed to where it was no longer Astrobotic\u2019s top priority.<\/p>\n<p>With the leak slowing and tensions lowering, Astrobotic enabled each payload to begin collecting data. While they were not able to gather the expected data on the Moon, gaining data for each payload in space is better than not gathering any at all.<\/p>\n<p>Astrobotic, after communicating with NASA and the U.S. Government, made the hard decision to allow<em> Peregrine<\/em> to re-enter Earth\u2019s atmosphere. Although, extending the lunar lander\u2019s life may reward the payloads with more data, the smartest option was to safely re-enter on its own terms. That is exactly what happened on Jan. 18 at 4:04 PM EST (21:04 UTC) in the South Pacific Ocean which officially ended this incredible mission.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Astrobotic's Peregrine Lander Burns Up In Earth's Atmosphere\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ox6qZmrXhJM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\" name=\"fitvid2\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Even without the Moon landing, Astrobotic accomplished a great achievement for a private company. They successfully got to orbit, corrected problems while in orbit, and continued to get the most data possible for customers. Astrobotic announced that they are grateful for all the support from the spaceflight community saying, \u201cThis is what makes the space industry so special, that we unite in the face of adversity.<\/p>\n<p>In the final update posted on Jan. 19, Astrobotic mentioned that<em> Peregrine<\/em> has flown so Griffin (its next lunar lander) may land. All of the problems solved and lessons learned will contribute directly to Griffin\u2019s landing on the lunar surface. They ended the final transmission with the honorable Latin phrase, \u201cAd luna per aspera\u201d, to the Moon through hardships.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Lead image: Liftoff of Vulcan from SLC-41. Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>United Launch Alliance (ULA) has done its part in returning the US to the Moon with the launch of Astrobotic\u2019s Peregrine lunar lander atop its brand-new Vulcan Centaur rocket.&nbsp; Cert-1, The first-ever mission for Vulcan, lifted off on Monday, Jan. 8 at 2:18 AM EST (7:18 AM UTC) during a 45-minute launch window. It took [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1392,7903,1469,728,363,750,364,1538],"class_list":["post-24120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-centaur","tag-centaur-v","tag-peregrine","tag-slc-41","tag-ula","tag-united-launch-alliance","tag-vulcan","tag-vulcan-centaur"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24120"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24120"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24120\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}