If successful, the Peregrine lander will be the first commercial spacecraft to touch down on the lunar surface.
Photo credit United Launch Alliance

Astrobotic, an aerospace company based in Pittsburgh, Pa., is about to put the first commercial mission on the moon. Its lunar lander, named Peregrine, was actually scheduled to lift off earlier this year, but a leak during a test of its launcher caused a delay.

This mission follows two earlier attempts by Israeli and Japanese companies. Japan’s iSpace tried to land Hakuto-R back in April but software issues and incorrect measurements of the distance to the lunar surface caused it to crash.
Peregrine will launch on a new Vulcan Centaur rocket. Built by the United Launch Alliance, it is a heavy-lift launcher that will replace the Atlas V and Delta IV rockets. Vulcan will be ready for launch on Dec. 24.

The Peregrine lander will carry a diverse collection of instruments, technologies, and other payloads from six different countries to the lunar surface. Among the cargo is small lunar rover named IRIS built by students at Carnegie Mellon University. About the size of a shoebox, it carries two cameras.

Once in space, the Peregrine will take about a month to cruise to the moon. The landing spot is in Oceanus Procellarum (aka the “Ocean of Storms“) on the western side of the moon’s face. The lander’s mission is expected to last about a week.

Uranus at Opposition
Jupiter and Saturn shine brightly in the fall sky but there’s another gas giant in the background. Although it is generally not visible to the naked eye, the seventh planet is located at the edge of the constellation Aries. The planet is located about halfway between Jupiter and the Seven Sisters. A pair of binoculars or a small telescope will reveal its distinctive blue-green color.

Kevin D. Conod is the Planetarium Astronomer at the County College of Morris and president of the North Jersey Astronomical Group.