Which companies plan to go to the Moon in 2024?

[takiya]

Space agencies from different countries have been using the Moon as a scientific platform for over 60 years. Now private players have joined them. However, reaching the satellite is not easy: last year, the missions of Russia and Japan were not successful. However, India managed to become the fourth country in the world to successfully land a spacecraft on the Moon. We tell you what missions are planned for this year.



Peregrine lander from Astrobotic
The launch of the Peregrine lander from the American Bulk SMS Azerbaijan company Astrobotic took place on January 8. Astrobotic cooperates with NASA under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.

The rover is about 2 m tall. It is equipped with about 20 instruments (five of them belong to NASA), each of which will study the lunar environment in different ways, such as measuring radiation or searching for groundwater.



Peregrine lander from Astrobotic. Photo in the text: Astrobotic

The flight is taking place aboard a Vulcan Centaur rocket from United Launch Alliance (a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin). Peregrine was scheduled to arrive on the Moon on February 23, and the mission will last eight days.

However, according to Astrobotic, the spacecraft will not be able to make a soft landing on the Moon due to a fuel leak.

Intuitive Machines Missions – IM-1 and IM-2
In mid-February, the American company Intuitive Machines – another participant in the CLPS program – plans to launch the Nova-C lander on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of the IM-1 mission.

Nova-C is almost 4 m tall and will deliver unusual cargo to the Moon: