Photo by John Kraus
Today, on January 8, 2024, at 2:18 AM Eastern Time, NASA launched a spacecraft named Astrobotic Peregrine for lunar exploration. Onboard the lunar lander is the Ukrainian flag, as reported by the founder of the British company Spacebit and native of Ukraine, Pavlo Tanasiuk.
"LIFTOFF OF VULCAN with our Spacebit payload — The inaugural United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket lifts off from SLC-41 for the Cert-1 mission at 2:18am ET, carrying Astrobotic’s Peregrine Lunar Lander," wrote Pavlo Tanasiuk on Facebook.
For the transportation of NASA's scientific equipment, NASA ordered a private Vulcan Centaur rocket from the industrial group ULA, which includes Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
The set of valuable payloads on board Peregrine is aimed at determining the location of water molecules on the Moon, measuring radiation and gases around the lander module, and assessing the lunar exosphere (a thin layer of gases on the Moon's surface). The Peregrine lander is expected to touch down on the visible side of the Moon on February 23, near mysterious lava dunes that scientists are trying to explain. If Astrobotic succeeds in landing on the Moon, it could become the first private company to achieve this.
Pavlo Tanasiuk announced his intention to send the Ukrainian flag and a detailed map of the country to the Moon in August 2023.
"By sending the flag and map of Ukraine to the Moon, I want to honor the unbroken spirit of my homeland. This mission, like the flag, is a symbol of the Ukrainian people's faith in their future, despite external challenges," said Pavlo Tanasiuk, as reported by Interfax.
As Spacebit's press service reported back then, this part of the British lunar mission, originally planned for 2022, was postponed to the fourth quarter of 2023 due to preparatory work by the United Launch Alliance (ULA).
And today, January 8, 2024, Spacebit sent a metallic version of the Ukrainian flag to the Moon as part of a scientific mission. According to Spacebit's CEO, Pavlo Tanasiuk, the payload consists of various materials, including metals and diverse space coatings. The team hopes to test these materials during the flight and lunar conditions to prepare for the launch of their own developed lunar rover, Asagumo.
