The first US Moon mission since Apollo, carrying a piece of technology developed by UK scientists, has blasted off into space.
The Peregrine Mission One (PM1) - built by US space company Astrobotic - is set to become the first private probe to land on the lunar surface.
The spacecraft is now flying solo on its way to the Moon, where it will attempt to land on February 23.
If successful, Peregrine could become the first commercial lander, and first American lander in more than 50 years, to land on the Moon.
The Vulcan rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 7.18am GMT.
Onboard is an instrument known as the Peregrine Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer (PITMS), which was developed in the UK by scientists from The Open University (OU) and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) RAL Space - the UK's national space lab - in collaboration with Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Centre in Washington DC.
Astrobotic chief executive John Thornton said: "Today Peregrine Mission One achieved a number of big milestones.
The Peregrine Mission One (PM1) - built by US space company Astrobotic - is set to become the first private probe to land on the lunar surface.
The spacecraft is now flying solo on its way to the Moon, where it will attempt to land on February 23.
If successful, Peregrine could become the first commercial lander, and first American lander in more than 50 years, to land on the Moon.
The Vulcan rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 7.18am GMT.
Onboard is an instrument known as the Peregrine Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer (PITMS), which was developed in the UK by scientists from The Open University (OU) and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) RAL Space - the UK's national space lab - in collaboration with Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Centre in Washington DC.
Astrobotic chief executive John Thornton said: "Today Peregrine Mission One achieved a number of big milestones.
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