A new era of commercial missions to the moon launched today as NASA gambles on a ride on an untested private lunar lander – alongside human remains and a marketing stunt by a sports drink manufacturer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Peregrine Mission-1 is the first US spacecraft with the aim of landing on the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the robotic lander, which is the size of a garden shed, is under the control of the American company Astrobotic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NASA has paid the start-up just $108m for five scientific instruments to be carried to the moon, a fraction of the cost of launching its own mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chris Culbert, who heads NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) programme, said the first flight will kickstart more frequent and cost-effective private trips to the moon’s surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Landing on the moon is extremely difficult and success cannot be assured,” he said. “But these companies are technically rigorous and very business savvy. They are resourceful and driven.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
John Thornton, the head of Astrobotic, thanked NASA for “rolling the dice for commercial”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The mission is on a tight budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To cut costs Peregrine blasted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida on the first test flight of the Vulcan Centaur rocket, built by United Launch Alliance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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