HAMPTON — Technologies developed at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton are about to be launched into space as two private companies vie to the be the first commercial flights to land on the moon. If either of the flights is successful, it will mark the first U.S. moon landing since NASA’s Apollo 17 mission in 1972. In the coming weeks, the technologies will be launched aboard two flights .
Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander is slated to blast off on Monday, January 8, carrying an assortment of goodies, including cutting-edge scientific rovers, bitcoin, and a piece of Mount Everest. No doubt, this ain’t your grandfather’s Moon mission, as the era of commercial space deliveries is now upon us.
In a blend of interesting circumstances and happenstance, two private companies and Japan’s space agency are all poised to land on the Moon in the back half of January 2024.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2023/10/27/intuitive-machines-targets-launch-to-the-moon-in-mid-january/
The completed Nova-C lander for the IM-1 mission is.