The latest major event in lunar exploration is the United States’ Peregrine Mission One, marking their first moon landing attempt in more than half a century. Unfortunately, a critical fuel leak developed a few hours after its launch, casting a shadow over the mission’s success. This mission, a joint effort between private space companies Astrobotic Technology and United Launch Alliance, underscores a new trend in space exploration where the private sector plays an integral role.
Key Aspects of the Peregrine Mission One
The Peregrine Lander, which will be one of the first US spacecraft to touch down on the moon since the Apollo program, is at the heart of Peregrine Mission One. Built by Astrobotic Technology, the lunar lander is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) programme created to stimulate a broader lunar economy.
NASA is actively collaborating with various American companies under the CLPS programme. The aim is to deliver science and technological payloads to the lunar surface. Essentially, these CLPS contracts seek to encourage lunar exploration, experimentation, and technology demonstrations prior to launching human missions.
The Peregrine is scheduled to land in a mid-latitude region of the moon known as Sinus Viscositatis or Bay of Stickiness.
Connection to Artemis Program
The Peregrine Mission One will also play a vital role in preparing for Artemis, a NASA-led initiative that plans to send astronauts back to the moon within this decade as a preliminary step for Mars missions. Named after the Greek moon goddess, Artemis is an ambitious initiative with goals of landing humans on the moon by 2024, including the first woman and person of color. The program envisions an Artemis Base Camp on the moon’s surface and an advanced Gateway in lunar orbit.
Previous Lunar Landings
Historically, successful soft landings on the moon have been achieved by a select few national space agencies. The Soviet Union was first in 1966, followed by the United States, which remains the only country to have sent people to the moon. China completed three successful landings over the recent decade, while India’s Chandrayaan-3 became the latest to achieve this feat on its second attempt in 2023.
UPSC Civil Services Examination Questions Discussed
To provide some context, I’ve included two previous UPSC Civil Service exam questions related to space exploration:
The 2008 question asked about the purpose of the US Space Agency’s Themis Mission. The correct answer is (c), which refers to studying the colorful display of high latitude skies.
A 2016 question discussed the Mars Orbiter Mission, also known as Mangalyaan, launched by ISRO. The correct answer to this question is (c), indicating that it made India the only country to successfully put a spacecraft into Mars orbit on its first attempt.
