The Peregrine lander is expected to touch down on February 23 at Sinus Viscositatis, a lunar feature near the Gruithuisen Domes, believed to potentially contain evidence of water on the Moon. Astrobotic is one of 14 vendors eligible for NASA’s CLPS initiative, which aims to create a commercial marketplace for lunar science, exploration, and technology development, contributing to the Artemis program for future crewed lunar missions.
According to his Linkedin profile, Bhaskaran is currently the Mission Director at Astrobotic Technology Inc. in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In this role, he leads the engineering team responsible for developing a commercial robotic lunar lander designed to transport payloads to the moon’s surface.. Prior to joining Astrobotic, he had worked for 25 years at Lockheed Martin. After his tenure at Lockheed Martin, he had stablished a consulting company named Pivotal Win.
He a graduate in mechanical engineering graduate from the University of Texas at Austin..
The initial private lunar mission was undertaken by Israel’s Space IL in April 2019, although it was not successful. This second private lunar mission, led by Sharad Bhaskaran, has several notable milestones. It marks the first U.S. lunar landing since NASA’s Apollo program’s final mission, Apollo 17, which occurred over 50 years ago. Additionally, it will be the inaugural mission launched under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services Initiative. The Peregrine lander, a part of this mission, will be transported by United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan Centaur rocket, making it the rocket’s maiden flight.
The mission’s scientific goals involve investigating the lunar exosphere, thermal characteristics, hydrogen content in the lunar regolith, magnetic fields, and the radiation environment. Additionally, it aims to assess advanced solar arrays. Selected under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, Peregrine Mission 1 involves a partnership with Astrobotic, a commercial provider offering launch and lander services. The spacecraft, standing at approximately 1.9 meters in height and 2.5 meters in width, encompasses various subsystems dedicated to fulfilling these scientific objectives.These measurements aim to enhance our understanding of solar radiation interactions with the lunar surface. The first private lunar mission was by Israel’s Space IL, which was not fully successful, in April 2019. This second private lunar mission, however, has some firsts — it will be the first US lunar landing since the final mission of Nasa’s Apollo programme — Apollo 17 — more than 50 years ago.
It will be first to launch under Nasa’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services Initiative, and the Peregrine lander will be carried by United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan Centaur rocket, which will be its first flight.