BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket blasted off on its maiden launch early Monday from Florida’s Space Coast.
The rocket was rolled to the launch pad on Friday for its first mission. Liftoff happened on schedule at 2:18 a.m. from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
NASA has called the Vulcan Centaur’s maiden mission a precursor for returning astronauts to the surface of the moon.
The Vulcan rocket – which is set to replace ULA’s Atlas and Delta rockets – is carrying a Peregrine lunar lander to deliver scientific payloads to the lunar surface ahead of landing astronauts on the moon before 2030.
About seven hours after liftoff, Astrobotic Technology reported the solar panel on the lander wasn’t properly pointed toward the sun to generate and store power and it was investigating the issue.
The Pittsburgh company’s lander caught a ride on a brand new rocket, United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan. The Vulcan streaked through the Florida predawn sky, putting the spacecraft on a roundabout route to the moon for a landing attempt on Feb. 23.
The company aims to be the first private business to successfully land on the moon, something only four countries have accomplished. But a Houston company also has a lander ready to fly, and could beat it to the lunar surface, taking a more direct path.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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