The last space qualification tests for Astrobotic's Peregrine lunar lander were completed this month, the Pittsburgh-based company reported on Wednesday (Jan. 25). Engineers are currently awaiting United Launch Alliance's (ULA) authorization to ship Peregrine from Pittsburgh to Florida for mating with its Vulcan Centaur rocket.
"These tests ultimately proved the quality of Peregrine's design and workmanship," Sharad Bhaskaran, Astrobotic's mission director for Peregrine's debut mission, said in a statement. "Everyone worked diligently, even through holidays, for this incredible achievement."
The first quarter of 2023 is the intended launch window for Peregrine from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, although as with other launch dates, that is susceptible to change due to technical issues, weather, and a variety of other circumstances. The mission, the new Vulcan Centaur's first launch, heralds a new era in commercial moon exploration.
The agency's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program chose the Peregrine lander for service, which is equipped with 11 NASA payloads. In addition to the humans from the Artemis program, who may be landing at the moon's south pole as early as 2025 on the Artemis 3 mission, NASA is using commercial robotic rovers, landers, and other spacecraft.
As all successful moon landing initiatives to date have been driven by nations rather than private corporations, CLPS represents a novel approach to lunar exploration. However, with the multiple missions being developed in the United States and other nations, that is anticipated to drastically change in the 2020s.