Vulcan launch: Why is NASA going back to the moon?

NASA’s first mission to the moon’s surface since the Apollo missions in the 1970s has begun with the launch today of a new Vulcan rocket carrying a robotic lander with seven scientific instruments.

However, the success of the mission is in doubt. Seven hours after the launch from Cape Canaveral, Astrobotic, the company behind the Peregrine lander, announced that an “anomaly” had prevented the spacecraft from pointing its solar panels stably at the sun. Engineers are working to fix the issue.

The mission forms the first part of NASA’s ambitious Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) programme, with six more launches planned for this year.

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International fleet of spacecraft is heading to the moon in 2024

Unlike previous NASA missions, which were carried out almost entirely in-house, these efforts will be public-private partnerships, aided by space companies. The Vulcan rocket was built by Boeing and Lockheed Martin as part of the United Launch Alliance (ULA).

The lander is expected to reach the moon in 46 days before attempting to land on 23 February. If successful, it will mark the first time a commercial company’s craft has landed on the moon.