First US Moon Lander Since Apollo Set To Launch Today, Human Remains On Board

For the first time in more than 50 years, an American spacecraft will be headed toward the surface of the moon. The 'Peregrine' lander, developed by a Pittsburgh-based company called Astrobotic, is scheduled to launch into space on Monday at 2:18 a.m. ET, as per Guardian. NASA said Friday that there is currently an 85% chance of favorable weather conditions for launch early Monday.

''NASA will kick off 2024 by sending five payloads to the Moon aboard Astrobotic's Peregrine lander, Astrobotic Peregrine Mission One. The inaugural launch under the agency's CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative will blast off Monday, Jan. 8, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket,'' as per a NASA press release.

''The suite of NASA payloads aboard Peregrine One will aim to locate water molecules on the Moon, measure radiation and gases around the lander, and evaluate the lunar exosphere (the thin layer of gases on the Moon's surface). These measurements will improve our understanding of how solar radiation interacts with the lunar surface,'' NASA added. 

If all goes to plan, Peregrine will touch down on a mid-latitude region of the Moon called Sinus Viscositatis, or Bay of Stickiness, on February 23.

As per CBS News, Peregrine is packed with 20 experiments and international payloads, including six NASA instruments and a sensor valued at $108 million. It also contains more colorful cargo, including a shoebox-sized rover built by Carnegie Mellon University, a physical Bitcoin, and cremated remains and DNA, including those of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, legendary sci-fi author and scientist Arthur C. Clarke, and a dog. Other items also include personal mementos, artwork, and letters from children worldwide. 

With a successful launch, Astrobotic could secure its place as the first private company to achieve a controlled, or 'soft' landing on the lunar surface. No private company has ever achieved a soft landing on the moon or any other celestial body.

''A lot is riding here. It's a mix of emotions. There's thrill and excitement, but I'm also a bit terrified because there's a lot on the line,'' said John Thornton, the chief executive of Astrobotic, the Pittsburgh firm leading the mission.

However, the Peregrine mission has attracted controversy because of some of its commercial payloads. The Navajo Nation of Native Americans has written to NASA demanding the launch should be delayed because there will be capsules on board containing human remains.

''The moon holds a sacred place in Navajo cosmology. The suggestion of transforming it into a resting place for human remains is deeply disturbing and unacceptable to our people and many other tribal nations,'' President of the Navajo Nation, Buu Nygren said, as per CNN. 

After the incident, the space agency said it would consult with tribes in the future over such decisions.

The launch will be broadcast on NASA Television beginning at 1:30 a.m.