Astrobotic revealed the flight model of its new Peregrine lunar lander on April 20th, 2022.
The new model differs from previous test models and is the actual version of Peregrine that will fly to the moon. It is scheduled to land on the moon in the fourth quarter of this year, and doing so would make Peregine the first American spacecraft to land on the moon since the Apollo program. Peregrine is the first lander that is part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) and will fly to the moon on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan Centaur rocket.
"This lunar lander build is a dream come true. This is why our company was founded 15 years ago. It represents the culmination of countless hours over many years by hundreds of people to design and assemble the lander, to create the lunar delivery market, and to establish the facilities and supply chain needed to ensure the success of commercial space missions like Peregrine's long into the future," said John Thornton, CEO of Astrobotic.
Peregrine was unveiled in the cleanroom where it is being developed and tested, so all attendees of the event had to suit up in white overalls and hairnets to keep the area free of contaminants. The cleanroom also housed the 24 payloads Peregrine will deliver to the lunar surface, including scientific instruments from three national space agencies.
The payloads include 11 from NASA, a rover from Carnegie Mellon University, several commercial companies' payloads, and cultural messages from individuals worldwide. The payloads are already integrated onto Peregrine's flight decks, which have yet to be integrated with the rest of the lander. After Peregrine is fully assembled, it will begin environmental testing before being shipped to Cape Canaveral in Florida to prepare for launch.
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