First in over 50 years! Vulcan rocket carrying NASA's Peregrine 1 moon lander lifts off in Florida (WATCH)

The Peregrine 1 lunar lander, developed by the space robotics firm Astrobotic as a commercial venture, is on track for its lunar landing by the end of February. If successful, this mission will mark the first lunar landing by a private company and the initial US soft landing on the moon since the conclusion of the Apollo missions in 1972.

In a groundbreaking event for space exploration, the United Launch Alliance's (ULA) Vulcan Centaur rocket has successfully launched NASA's Peregrine 1 lunar lander from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The momentous liftoff at 2:18 a.m. EST is a significant leap forward in US space exploration, potentially leading to the first American moon landing in half a century.

The Peregrine 1 lunar lander, developed by the space robotics firm Astrobotic as a commercial venture, is on track for its lunar landing by the end of February. If successful, this mission will mark the first lunar landing by a private company and the initial US soft landing on the moon since the conclusion of the Apollo missions in 1972.

The Vulcan Centaur rocket, a result of the collaboration between aerospace giants Boeing and Lockheed Martin, has been a decade in the making. Designed to replace ULA's Atlas V rocket and compete with SpaceX's Falcon 9 in the satellite launch market, this launch signifies a new era for ULA in the realm of space exploration.

The significance of Peregrine's mission extends beyond commercial spaceflight—it represents a crucial step in scientific exploration. Scheduled to touch down on the lunar surface on February 23, the lander carries scientific payloads aimed at collecting valuable data about the moon's surface. This information is expected to play a pivotal role in planning future human missions to the moon, contributing to our understanding of lunar geology and resource potential.

The success of the Vulcan Centaur launch and the Peregrine 1 mission marks a pivotal moment in space exploration, blurring the lines between government-led and private sector space endeavors. As the world closely observes, the triumph of this mission could open the door to a new era of lunar exploration and further advancements in space technology.