US Company Launches First Private Mission to the Moon
2024-01-09
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1An American company successfully launched a mission Monday to explore the moon.
2The launch of a robotic lander marked the first time a private space vehicle has been sent to the lunar surface.
3However, the company reported a serious fuel leak about seven hours after the launch.
4The 1.9-meter-tall lander, called Peregrine, launched at 07:18 UTC from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
5The spacecraft was built by Astrobotic Technology, a company based in the eastern U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
6It was carried into space on a Vulcan Centaur rocket.
7The rocket was built by American space launch company, United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
8Earlier, Astrobotic chief executive John Thornton said if all goes as planned, Peregrine will attempt to land on the moon February 23.
9However, Astrobotic said in a statement it is currently assessing possible changes to the mission to see what might be possible.
10If the fuel issue is serious, it "threatens the ability of the spacecraft to soft land on the moon," the company said.
11Astrobotic said in a press release Peregrine is loaded with 20 research experiments involving seven different countries.
12It is equipped to collect data on radiation and materials found on the moon's surface.
13The lander also carried a small robotic explorer and other materials.
14These included a physical bitcoin, a piece of rock from Mount Everest and the ash remains of famous space lovers Gene Roddenberry and Arthur C. Clarke.
15Roddenberry was creator of the popular science fiction television show Star Trek and Clarke was a science fiction writer.
16The Navajo Nation recently sought to have the launch delayed because of the inclusion of the remains.
17The head of the Native American group called the sending of remains a "desecration" because Native Americans consider the moon a sacred space.
18In a message on X, formerly Twitter, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said, "The suggestion of transforming (the mission) into a resting place for human remains is deeply disturbing and unacceptable to our people and many other tribal nations."
19Astrobotic's Thornton answered the criticism by saying the Navajo's Nation's objections came too late to reach an agreement on the issue.
20But he promised to try to find "a good path forward" with the Navajo Nation for future missions.
21So far, only four nations have successfully landed spacecraft on the moon: the United States, China, the Soviet Union and India.
22The last time the United States landed on the moon was in 1972 with its Apollo 17 mission.
23NASA is currently moving ahead with its Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the moon.
24Astrobotic is trying to be the first private business to successfully land on the moon in an effort to support the Artemis Program.
25But The Associated Press reports another space company's lander might beat Peregrine to the lunar surface.
26This is because that lander, called Nova-C, is set to take a more direct path to the moon.
27It plans to launch next month on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
28Nova-C was built by Texas-based space company Intuitive Machines.
29The company also plans to send the lander to the moon for another mission later this year.
30Private companies from Japan and Israel tried in the past to land spacecraft on the moon, but those attempts failed.
31Japan's space agency will attempt another moon landing in mid-January.
32The agency, JAXA, launched the SLIM spacecraft on its way to the moon in September.
33SLIM's goal is to test the possibility that spacecraft can land on very specific targets.
34Another Astrobotic lander, called Griffin, is set to launch to the moon's south pole in late 2024.
35It will be carrying an exploring robot, or rover, called VIPER.
36VIPER is designed to search for water sources on the moon.
37All the private space missions were developed through NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.
38The program aims to turn over the country's major missions to private companies in an effort to operate at reduced costs.
39I'm Bryan Lynn.
1An American company successfully launched a mission Monday to explore the moon. The launch of a robotic lander marked the first time a private space vehicle has been sent to the lunar surface. 2However, the company reported a serious fuel leak about seven hours after the launch. The 1.9-meter-tall lander, called Peregrine, launched at 07:18 UTC from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. 3The spacecraft was built by Astrobotic Technology, a company based in the eastern U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It was carried into space on a Vulcan Centaur rocket. The rocket was built by American space launch company, United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin. 4Earlier, Astrobotic chief executive John Thornton said if all goes as planned, Peregrine will attempt to land on the moon February 23. 5However, Astrobotic said in a statement it is currently assessing possible changes to the mission to see what might be possible. If the fuel issue is serious, it "threatens the ability of the spacecraft to soft land on the moon," the company said. 6Astrobotic said in a press release Peregrine is loaded with 20 research experiments involving seven different countries. It is equipped to collect data on radiation and materials found on the moon's surface. 7The lander also carried a small robotic explorer and other materials. These included a physical bitcoin, a piece of rock from Mount Everest and the ash remains of famous space lovers Gene Roddenberry and Arthur C. Clarke. Roddenberry was creator of the popular science fiction television show Star Trek and Clarke was a science fiction writer. 8The Navajo Nation recently sought to have the launch delayed because of the inclusion of the remains. The head of the Native American group called the sending of remains a "desecration" because Native Americans consider the moon a sacred space. 9In a message on X, formerly Twitter, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said, "The suggestion of transforming (the mission) into a resting place for human remains is deeply disturbing and unacceptable to our people and many other tribal nations." 10Astrobotic's Thornton answered the criticism by saying the Navajo's Nation's objections came too late to reach an agreement on the issue. But he promised to try to find "a good path forward" with the Navajo Nation for future missions. 11So far, only four nations have successfully landed spacecraft on the moon: the United States, China, the Soviet Union and India. The last time the United States landed on the moon was in 1972 with its Apollo 17 mission. 12NASA is currently moving ahead with its Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the moon. 13Astrobotic is trying to be the first private business to successfully land on the moon in an effort to support the Artemis Program. But The Associated Press reports another space company's lander might beat Peregrine to the lunar surface. 14This is because that lander, called Nova-C, is set to take a more direct path to the moon. It plans to launch next month on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Nova-C was built by Texas-based space company Intuitive Machines. The company also plans to send the lander to the moon for another mission later this year. 15Private companies from Japan and Israel tried in the past to land spacecraft on the moon, but those attempts failed. 16Japan's space agency will attempt another moon landing in mid-January. The agency, JAXA, launched the SLIM spacecraft on its way to the moon in September. SLIM's goal is to test the possibility that spacecraft can land on very specific targets. 17Another Astrobotic lander, called Griffin, is set to launch to the moon's south pole in late 2024. It will be carrying an exploring robot, or rover, called VIPER. VIPER is designed to search for water sources on the moon. 18All the private space missions were developed through NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. The program aims to turn over the country's major missions to private companies in an effort to operate at reduced costs. 19I'm Bryan Lynn. 20The Associated Press and NASA reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English. 21____________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23mission - n. to do something considered very difficult or impossible 24joint venture -n. a new business activity involving two or more businesses that aim to combine their resources 25desecrate - v. to damage or show a lack of respect toward something holy or highly respected 26sacred - adj. relating to religion or considered to be holy 27transform -v. to change something from one form to another 28disturbing - adj. making you feel worried or upset