A 3-inch-tall MoonBox from delivery service DHL containing 151 objects, including the Encyclopedia Britannica, a microSD card with the movie Shrek, and a rock collected from Mount Everest by NASA astronaut Scott Parazynski.
PROPULSION
LAUNCH
Above deck
The lander will carry 24 payloads from seven countries, including 11 NASA experiments. The cost to transport payloads to the Moon is up to $1.2 million per kilogram. Some contain multiple objects, bringing the price as low as $460 for a memento placed inside the DHL MoonBox.
PAYLOAD DECKS
Payloads are securely mounted onto aluminum decks, with electronics, batteries and computers inside an enclosed area that provides shelter. Objects can be bolted on top of a deck for views of the horizon and sky, or below for views of the lunar surface.
A lunar lander built by Pittsburgh startup Astrobotic is on track to be the first American spacecraft to land on the Moon’s surface since the Apollo program ended 50 years ago — part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative to commercialize delivery of science and technology payloads to the Moon.
During its 10 days operating on the Moon, the Peregrine lander and its payloads will be controlled directly from Astrobotic Mission Control in Pittsburgh.
A MOONSHOT FROM PITTSBURGH
ON THE MOON
Lacus Mortis, which translates to “Lake of Death”
Animations by Brobel Design
Peregrine will spend up to 48 days in orbit before landing on the Lacus Mortis plain of the Moon, at which time payloads will receive power and the ability to send and receive data.
VIEW THE PEREGRINE LANDER
IN AUGMENTED REALITY
Pittsburgh
ORBIT
WHAT’S ON BOARD
Cape Canaveral
A lunar rover built by Carnegie Mellon University students.
Sources: Astrobotic, Astroscale, Carnegie Mellon University, Elysium Space, United Launch Alliance.
Animation by Brobel Design
MISSION
A capsule from Japan containing messages from children and a powdered sports drink.
A tray of memorial capsules that carry loved ones’ ashes into space.
POWER
A few hours after launch, Peregrine is released from the rocket and journeys on its own to the Moon.
Enclosure deck
A coin from the Republic of Seychelles loaded with 1 Bitcoin.
COMMUNICATIONS
Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander will launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station atop a Vulcan Centaur rocket built and operated by Colorado-based United Launch Alliance.
Below deck
Left, a capsule from Japan containing messages from children and a powdered sports drink. Above, a tray of memorial capsules that carry loved ones’ ashes into space.
Left, a lunar rover built by Carnegie Mellon University students. Above, a coin from the Republic of Seychelles loaded with 1 Bitcoin.
WHAT’S ON BOARD
The lander will carry 24 payloads from seven countries, including 11 NASA experiments. The cost to transport payloads to the Moon is up to $1.2 million per kilogram. Some payloads contain multiple objects, bringing the price as low as $460 for a memento placed inside the DHL MoonBox.
Above, a 3-inch-tall MoonBox from delivery service DHL containing 151 objects, including the Encyclopedia Britannica, a microSD card with the movie Shrek, and a rock collected from Mount Everest by NASA astronaut Scott Parazynski.
8.2 ft.
(2.5m)
A MOONSHOT FROM PITTSBURGH
HAVE A CLOSER LOOK
WIDTH
6.2 ft.
(1.9m)
HEIGHT
During its 10 days operating on the Moon, the lander and payloads will be controlled directly from Astrobotic Mission Control in Pittsburgh.
Sources: Astrobotic, Astroscale, Carnegie Mellon University, Elysium Space, United Launch Alliance.
SCAN THE
QR CODE WITH YOUR PHONE TO VIEW IN AUGMENTED REALITY
Most payloads will stay bolted to the lander. A four-wheeled rover will drive away from Peregrine, and five smaller rovers will be catapulted onto the surface.
A few hours after launch, Peregrine is released and flies on its own to the Moon.
264 lbs. (120kg)
Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander will launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station inside a Vulcan Centaur rocket built and operated by Colorado-based United Launch Alliance.
PAYLOAD CAPACITY
Peregrine will spend up to 48 days in orbit before landing on the Lacus Mortis plain of the Moon, at which time payloads will receive power and
the ability to send
and receive data.
Main engines
Thrusters
Propellant tanks power five main engines that drive the spacecraft’s major maneuvers, including trajectory corrections while in orbit and powered descent to the lunar surface. Twelve smaller thrusters placed throughout Peregrine help maintain the lander’s orientation.
Propellant tank
Modem
Medium-gain antenna
Low-gain antenna
More than a mile of cables onboard Peregrine keep the lander up and running, including communications. A high-powered transponder and antennas relay data between each payload and Astrobotic, with hard-wired connections to some and modems for payloads deployed on rovers.
A solar panel transfers power to the lander and its payloads throughout the mission, storing energy inside a lithium-ion battery. The solar panel is pointed toward the Sun whenever possible; the battery kicks in whenever the Sun is not visible.
Solar panel
Above right, a 3-inch-tall MoonBox from delivery service DHL containing 151 objects, including the Encyclopedia Britannica, a microSD card with the movie Shrek, and a rock collected from Mount Everest by NASA astronaut Scott Parazynski.
Sources: Astrobotic, Astroscale, Carnegie Mellon University, Elysium Space, United Launch Alliance. Animations by Brobel Design.
AUGMENTED REALITY
Above, a coin from the Republic of Seychelles loaded with 1 Bitcoin.
Above, a tray of memorial capsules that carry loved ones’ ashes into space.
Left, a capsule from Japan containing messages from children and a powdered sports drink.
A MOONSHOT FROM
PITTSBURGH
Scan the QR code at right with your mobile phone to explore the Peregrine lunar lander.
Propellant tanks power five main engines that drive the spacecraft’s major maneuvers, including trajectory corrections while in orbit and powered descent to the lunar surface. Twelve smaller thrusters placed throughout help maintain the lander’s orientation.
More than a mile of cables deliver Peregrine functionality, including communications. A high-powered transponder and antennas relay data between payloads and Astrobotic, with hard-wired connections to some and modems for rover-deployed payloads.
Left, a lunar rover built by Carnegie Mellon University students is bolted to the Peregrine payload deck.