News Story

Lift-off planned for historic mission to the Moon

Monday 8 Jan 2024

Peregrine Mission One, which successfully launched today (8 January 2024), marks a historic journey from Florida to the Moon. The mission is a collaborative effort involving The Open University (OU), ESA, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and Science Technology Facilities Council (STFC) RAL Space.

The key component, Peregrine Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer (PITMS), developed by Dr Simeon Barber of OU, will analyse the thin lunar atmosphere, studying water movement near the surface.

This research is crucial for future lunar exploration, potentially providing insights into obtaining drinking water for astronauts by utilizing local resources, reducing reliance on Earth-supplied mission provisions.