Vulcan Rocket Prepares for First Launch With Moon Lander Mission - The New York Times

Here’s what you need to know about United Launch Alliance and the robotic lunar spacecraft it is sending to orbit.

A brand-new American rocket is on a launchpad at Cape Canaveral, Fla., and for the first time in more than 50 years, an American spacecraft will be headed toward the surface of the moon. The rocket is called Vulcan, and it was built by the company United Launch Alliance. Here’s what you need to know about its first flight.

When is the launch, and how can I watch it?

The launch is scheduled for 2:18 a.m. Eastern on Monday. Coverage will be broadcast on NASA Television beginning at 1:30 a.m.

Forecasts give an 85 percent chance of favorable weather. If the launch is delayed to Tuesday, weather conditions will deteriorate, with only a 30 percent chance of favorable conditions.

There are additional launch opportunities on Jan. 10 and Jan. 11.

What is the moon mission heading to orbit?

Astrobotic Technology of Pittsburgh is sending Peregrine, a robotic spacecraft, that is to land in Sinus Viscositatis — Latin for “Bay of Stickiness” — an enigmatic region on the near side of the moon. NASA is paying Astrobotic $108 million to take five experiments there, part of the space agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, or CLPS. The program aims to lower the cost of sending items to the lunar surface.

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