Nasa Peregrine-1 launch: US rocket heads back to the Moon for first time in 50 years

A US rocket has set off for the Moon, carrying a Nasa lunar lander, for the first time in 50 years.

It is the first time an American spacecraft will have landed on the Moon’s surface since the Apollo missions.

It was also the debut launch for the Vulcan rocket, made by the private United Launch Alliance. If the mission is successful, that could become a key technology for the US, and may rival SpaceX’s popular rockets.

The United Launch Alliance was formed as a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing. At the moment it conducts launches with its Atlas V and Delta IV rockets – which are expensive but reliable, and have been used for top-secret launches on behalf of the US government.

It is also carrying a private moon lander, named Peregrine and made by US company Astrobiotic, which was chosen by Nasa. That includes a range of scientific experiments, including small lunar rovers and an array of instruments that will examine the lunar surface.

The spacecraft is also carrying a set of time capsules and some human remains, sent by private companies. That has led to criticism from the Navajo Nation in the US, who described the Moon as “deeply embedded in the spirituality and heritage of many Indigenous cultures, including our own” and said that placing human remains on it is a “profound desecration of this celestial body revered by our people”.

The launch comes amid an increased focus on the Moon from both Nasa and other space agencies. In recent years, the Moon has been visited by missions from countries including India, China, Japan and Israel – though not all of them successfully landed, and touching down safely on the lunar surface remains challenging.

Nasa’s interest in the Moon is in part preparation for its Artemis missions, which it hopes will see humans return to the surface of the Moon next year. Eventually, those missions hope to set up a lunar base that can then be used to send humans to Mars.