The Vulcan Centaur rocket from the United Launch Alliance of the United States is scheduled to launch on January 8th, sending the Peregrine Falcon lunar lander developed by Aerospace Robotics into space. This is the first time in over 50 years that the United States has launched a lunar landing mission, and it is also the first time that American private enterprises have challenged a lunar landing mission. The landing is crucial. According to CNN, the Vulcan Centaur rocket is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Base in Florida at 2:18 local time (15:18 Beijing time). The weather forecast shows that the probability of sunny weather favorable for launch at that time is 85%. According to Agence France Presse, this is the first launch of the Mars Centaur rocket. According to the plan, about one hour after launch, the rocket will send the Peregrine Falcon lunar lander into the Earth Moon transfer orbit. The falcon will separate from the rocket there, activate its own propulsion system, and move towards the moon. After entering the scheduled orbit around the moon, the Peregrine Falcon will orbit for a period of time and finally attempt to land on the moon on February 23. The landing site is a several square kilometer area in the mid latitude zone on the front of the moon. The final moment before the lander reaches the lunar surface is considered the most critical stage of the entire mission. Many experts in the industry believe that the success rate of spacecraft landing on the moon is equivalent to flipping a coin. John Thornton, CEO of Aerospace Robotics Technology, previously stated in an interview that the probability of a successful landing is 50%. Last April and August, Japan and Russia launched lunar probes respectively, but both failed in the final landing on the moon. The Japanese small lunar probe SLIM, which took off in September last year, is currently in orbit around the moon and is expected to attempt a landing on the moon on the 20th of this month. The industry believes that the "Peregrine Falcon" lunar mission will establish the tone for NASA's next phase of lunar exploration, outsourcing related tasks to private enterprises to first explore the moon with probes and then carry out manned missions. The total contract amount signed between NASA and Aerospace Robotics Technology Company is 108 million US dollars. It believes that outsourcing related tasks to private enterprises can reduce the cost of exploring the moon. Another private American company, Intuition Machine, plans to launch the Nova-C lunar lander in mid February. The Peregrine Falcon is equipped with multiple scientific devices and some items, such as physical Bitcoin. Some of the scientific equipment will be used for NASA's scientific exploration missions, including monitoring lunar radiation, analyzing lunar soil composition, and searching for water and hydroxyl molecules. The Peregrine Falcon is expected to travel on the moon for about 10 days, and night will fall at its location. Various devices cannot operate due to the low temperature on the lunar surface. (Lai Xin She)
Edit：He Chuanning Responsible editor：Su Suiyue
Source：Xinhua
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