United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan Centaur rocket launched for the first time on January 8 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, USA, reports Space.com. There is a Ukrainian flag and a map of Ukraine on board.
The start took place at 02:18 local time (09:18 Kyiv time). The rocket carries the Peregrine lunar lander of the Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic company, which carries 20 different payloads, including five NASA scientific instruments and cargo from the Ukrainian-British company Spacebit.
Spacebit sent a metal version of the Ukrainian flag to the Moon as part of a scientific mission. According to Spacebit CEO Pavel Tanasyuk, the cargo consists of various materials, including metals and various space coatings. The team hopes to test these materials during flight and lunar conditions to prepare for a flight to launch the Asagumo lunar rover of its own design.
The paints on the plate can withstand extreme temperature conditions for hundreds of years. A copy of the plate was presented to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the end of 2021.
If Peregrine successfully lands on the moon in February, it will be the first American spacecraft to reach the lunar surface since Apollo 17 in 1972.
- Spacebit announced that the flag and map of Ukraine will be sent to the moon on a Vulcan Centaur rocket on August 23, Ukrainian Flag Day. Originally scheduled for 2022, the British lunar mission was postponed due to the preparatory work of the United Launch Alliance (ULA). The idea belongs to the founder of the British space company with Ukrainian roots, Spacebit, Pavlo Tanasyuk.
