PHOOZY joins U.S. return to the moon in partnership with Conrad Foundation

UPDATE Jan 11th, 2024: After a successful launch, Peregrine Mission One started leaking fuel hours after on Monday. The leak has been forcing the spacecraft’s thrusters to operate beyond capacity to prevent it from tumbling out of control. Astrobotic on Tuesday afternoon estimated that, based on the amount of fuel the spacecraft is gobbling up to keep from tumbling out of control, it could maintain stability for the next 40 hours.

While the craft is now unable to soft land on the lunar surface, the Astrobotic team has been able to continue on a new mission to gather invaluable payload data.

UPDATE Jan 8th, 2024: Peregrine Mission One has successfully launched to the Moon. Peregrine is now flying solo on its way to the Moon, where it will attempt a lunar landing on February 23, 2024. Peregrine could become the first commercial lander, and first American lander in over 50 years, to land on the Moon.

Did you hear the news?  We are going to the moon!  We are excited to announce our participation in the Peregrine Lunar Lander launch via a partnership with the Conrad Challenge, an innovation competition at Space Center Houston.

Slated to be among the first commercial lunar landers to soft land on the Moon, Peregrine is carrying cargo from NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative and other customers. Peregrine will land near the Ocean of Storms, the same location where astronaut Pete Conrad – whose life and legacy inspired the creation of the Conrad Foundation – landed in 1969. 

“We are very excited to be a part of this ambitious project with Astrobotic and the Conrad Challenge,” said Kevin Conway, co-founder and CEO of PHOOZY. “This mission is an incredible way to showcase our thermal and antimicrobial technologies protecting the digital memory storage inside of the Peregrine Lunar Lander for the Conrad Foundation.”

The Peregrine Mission One is slated to launch on its voyage to the Moon aboard the inaugural flight of the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket on January 8.

Follow the mission here as we will update the blog with the latest news, information and mission facts from launch to landing!  Keep reading below to learn more about the Peregrine Mission and how we are utilizing our technology keep microbes off the surface of the moon while protecting devices against the extreme temperatures of space.  

How is PHOOZY protecting the digital memory storage inside of the Peregrine Lunar Lander?

As part of the mission, PHOOZY was tasked with protecting digital memory storage cards for the Conrad Foundation utilizing our patented thermal and antimicrobial technology.

• Thermal Management:  Space is one of the most extreme environments with temperatures ranging from X to X.  Exposure to these extreme temperatures can destroy digital memory storage device

• Antimicrobial Protection: In the space environment, human-associated microorganisms that spread disease and infection can proliferate, mutate, and may even become more resistant to antibiotics if they are introduced to the surface of the moon

With these two primary objectives in mind, PHOOZY developed custom digital memory storage device capsules utilizing the same technology found in our phone, tablet/laptop and tech capsules to protect the devices from exposure to extreme temperatures and thermonuclear heat while also ensuring that no microorganisms can be introduced into the surface of the moon. 

Peregrine Mission One      

Astrobotic’s Peregrine Mission One (PM1) is carrying 20 payloads (cargo) from governments, companies, universities, and NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. It is also slated to be one of the first U.S. lunar landings since the final mission of the Apollo program – Apollo 17 – over 50 years ago. Astrobotic is truly opening the door to the next phase of space science, exploration, and commerce on the Moon. 

What does Peregrine do?

Peregrine is a lunar lander – a spacecraft that, once separated from a rocket (United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan launch vehicle), will power on and continue its journey to the Moon solo. Peregrine was developed at Astrobotic to serve as a delivery vehicle that will fly to the Moon, land safely, and provide power and communications for payload customers..

What’s aboard Peregrine?

Think of the Peregrine spacecraft as a delivery vehicle in space. Just as shipping companies like DHL send packages around the world, Astrobotic sends items to the Moon. On this first mission, Peregrine will carry a diverse suite of scientific instruments, technologies, mementos, and other payloads (or cargo) from seven different countries, dozens of science teams, and thousands of individuals.