The USA launched a rocket to the moon with the Ukrainian flag on board
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The USA launched a rocket to the moon with a Ukrainian flag and a map on board.
United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle made its first flight on January 8 from the Space Force Station at Cape Canaveral in Florida, Space reports.
Approximately 50.5 minutes after the launch, the main payload – the Peregrine rover, on board of which there is a metal plate with the flag of Ukraine – detached from the rocket.
If all goes well, the rover will land on Earth’s natural satellite in February.
This will be the first US return to the moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, and the first ever private company landing on the moon.
“I’m so excited I can’t put it into words. So far, it’s been an absolutely beautiful mission back to the moon.”,” ULA President and Chief Executive Officer Tory Bruno said after Peregrine’s launch.
The company Spacebit presented a copy of the metal plate with the flag to President Volodymyr Zelenskyi in 2021. Paints on the plate can withstand extreme temperature conditions for hundreds of years.
In addition, the Peregrine lander from Astrobotic is carrying another important cargo, including 5 NASA scientific instruments.
According to Spacebit CEO Pavel Tanasiuk, the cargo consists of various materials, including metals and various space coatings.
Also on board Peregrine are human remains sent by “space burial” companies.
It will be recalled that the mission was previously planned for 2022, but it was postponed due to the preparatory work of the United Launch Alliance company.
On National Flag Day last year, Pavlo Tanasiuk, the founder of the space company Spacebit, announced that he would send the flag of Ukraine to the moon at the end of 2023.
Read also: “Kobzar” and dinosaur bones were there. What do you know about human activities in space? TEST
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