A brand new rocket lifted off early Monday morning from Cape Canaveral, Florida, sending a robotic spacecraft toward the moon’s surface.
The Vulcan rocket launch was perfect. The spacecraft, built by Astrobotic Technologies of Pittsburgh, separated 50 minutes into the flight and successfully powered on its systems.
However, a few hours later, Astrobotic reported on social media service X The spacecraft known as Peregrine was having trouble keeping its solar panels facing the sun to generate electricity.
company then said The possible cause of the problem is a malfunction in Peregrine’s propulsion system, “which, if proven true, threatens the spacecraft’s ability to make a soft landing on the moon.”
improvised strategy Succeeded in changing the direction of the solar panel Point it back towards the sun so it can charge the battery.
If Astrobotic’s engineers can keep the spacecraft alive, they have time to devise potential solutions to the propulsion problem. Hayabusa is not scheduled to enter lunar orbit for about two and a half weeks.
Peregrine is conducting five NASA experiments to study the moon’s surface up close. NASA officials say they are willing to take higher risks on these lower-cost missions.
“Each success and setback is an opportunity for us to learn and grow,” Joel Kearns, deputy assistant administrator for exploration at NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said in a statement. “We will use these lessons to advance our efforts to advance science, exploration, and commercial development of the Moon.”
The successful launch of the Vulcan Centaur rocket was critical for United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Vulcan is designed to replace two older rockets, and the U.S. Space Force also looks to Vulcan to launch reconnaissance satellites and other spacecraft important to U.S. national security.
Vulcan is also the first of several new rockets that could chip away at the current dominance of the space launch market by Elon Musk’s company SpaceX. SpaceX sent nearly 100 rockets into orbit last year. Other debut orbital launches in the coming months could include European company Arianespace’s Ariane 6 rocket and Blue Origin’s New Glenn, founded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. be.
The Vulcan Rocket countdown went smoothly throughout the night, and the weather was kind.
At 2:18 a.m. ET, the rocket’s engine ignited and it lifted off from the launch pad and ascended eastward across the Atlantic Ocean.
Rob Gannon, a United Launch Alliance launch commentator, repeatedly said “everything looks fine” as Vulcan headed into space.
“We did it,” company CEO Tori Bruno said after the lunar rover’s deployment. “I’m very excited. I can’t say how much.”
United Launch Alliance was founded in 2006 and for nine years was the only company certified by the U.S. government to send national security payloads into orbit. So far, the company has used two aircraft. The Delta IV, developed by Boeing, is scheduled to complete its final flight later this year, and the Atlas V, developed by Lockheed Martin, is also scheduled to be retired within the next few years.
There are 17 Atlas V launches left, but the rockets use Russian engines that have become politically unsustainable due to rising tensions between Russia and the United States. For this reason, ULA began developing Vulcan, a low-cost replacement for the performance of both rockets, United Launch Alliance officials said.
“What’s unique about Vulcan, and what we originally wanted to do, was to offer a rocket that had all the capabilities of Atlas and Delta in one system,” said ULA vice president responsible for Vulcan development. says Mark Peller. “We have that adjustability, so that configuration can be tailored to the specific mission.”
Vulcan can be configured in many ways. The rocket’s core booster stage is powered by two Blue Origin BE-4 engines. The engine, which emits deep blue flames by burning methane fuel, is also used in Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket.
Up to six solid rocket fuel boosters can be attached to the sides of the core to increase the mass that can be lifted into orbit. Its nose cone comes in two dimensions: a standard 51-foot length and a longer 70-foot size for larger payloads.
“The launch market is stronger than it has been in decades,” said Carissa Christensen, chief executive officer of Bryce Tech, a consulting firm in Alexandria, Va., “and expected demand is expected to increase from multiple is likely to be sufficient to support a number of launch providers.” Vulcan. ”
ULA already has more than 70 missions left to fly on Vulcan. Amazon purchased 38 launch vehicles for deployment of Project Kuiper, a constellation of communications satellites that competes with SpaceX’s Starlink network to provide high-speed satellite internet.
Many of the other launches are for the Space Force. Currently, ULA and SpaceX are the only companies approved to launch national security missions. Monday’s launch is the first of two demonstration missions the Space Force is requesting to gain confidence in Vulcan before using it for military and surveillance payloads.
The second launch will be a cargo mission to the International Space Station, lifting Dream Chaser, an unmanned spaceplane manufactured by Sierra Space of Louisville, Colorado. This could be followed by four more Vulcan launches for the Space Force this year.
The primary payload of Vulcan’s first launch was Peregrine, Astrobotic’s lunar lander. Astrobotic, founded in 2007, is one of several private companies aiming to provide delivery services to the moon’s surface. The main customer for this trip was NASA, which paid Astrobotic $108 million. No U.S. spacecraft has made a soft landing on the moon since 1972.
This is part of the space agency’s scientific research in preparation for the return of astronauts to the moon under the Artemis program. Unlike in the past, when NASA built and operated its own spacecraft, this time it relies on companies like Astrobotic to provide transportation.
The company announced the initiative, Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), in 2018, but it was slow to get off the ground. After repeated delays, Astrobotic’s Peregrine flight is his first CLPS mission to reach space.
The Hayabusa is scheduled to land on February 23rd at a mysterious region on the far side of the moon called Sinus Viscositatis (Latin for “sticky gulf”).
A second CLPS mission from Houston’s Intuitive Machines is scheduled to launch as early as mid-February and take an earlier path to the moon, potentially reaching the surface sooner than February 23.
Vulcan also lifted a secondary payload from Celestis, a company that memorializes people by sending ashes or pieces of DNA into space. His two toolbox-sized containers mounted on the Vulcan’s upper tier house 268 small cylindrical capsules.
Among those left behind on this final journey is Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. His wife, Majel Barrett, played Nurse Chapel in the original television show. Three other actors appearing on the show are: DeForest Kelley, who plays medic Leonard “Bones” McCoy; Nichelle Nichols plays communications officer Uhura. and James Doohan, who played Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott.
One of the capsules contains hair samples from three American presidents: George Washington, Dwight Eisenhower, and John F. Kennedy.
A final, brief engine ignition placed the second stage and Celestis Monument into orbit around the sun.
Another company with a similar service to Celestis, San Francisco-based Elysium Space, also has a payload on Peregrine. The move has sparked an outcry from Navajo leaders, who say many Native Americans consider the moon a sacred place and consider sending remains there sacrilegious. Navajo officials asked the White House to delay the launch to discuss the issue.
Charles Chafer, CEO of Celestis, said that while he respects everyone’s religious beliefs, “I don’t think space missions can be regulated based on religious reasons.”
During the press conference, NASA officials said they were not in charge of the mission and could not speak directly about other payloads that Astrobotic sold with Peregrine. “An intergovernmental meeting has been set up with the Navajo Nation and NASA will also be assisting,” Dr. Kearns said at a press conference Thursday.
Astrobotic CEO John Thornton said Friday that “this story came to us at a very late stage” as his company had announced the participation of Celestis and Elysium years earlier. He said he was disappointed.
“We’re really trying to do the right thing,” Thornton said. “I hope we can find a good path forward with the Navajo Nation.”
Vulcan has many payloads to launch in the coming years, but the long-term outlook is less clear. Other aerospace companies are looking to acquire a piece of the Space Force business, and Amazon could move more Kuiper launches to Bezos’ Blue Origin in the future.
Another factor influencing Vulcan’s future is SpaceX’s decision to land and reuse its Falcon 9 booster, which will likely give it a significant price advantage over ULA. . In contrast, the entire Vulcan rocket is used only once. Blue Origin also plans to reuse the New Glenn booster.
ULA is developing technology that could be used to recover the two engines in the booster, the most expensive part of the rocket, but that is years away.