Mexico’s first lunar mission is about to begin.
UNAM, through the COLMENA project, will seek to expand the knowledge that humanity has about the Moon with five robots inspired by insects. This is the launch date.
In addition to Mexico, other nations participate in the COLMENA mission through different projects and payloads. Among them are the United States, through NASA and the company Astrobotic, which developed the Peregrine spacecraft. Japan and Germany will also send different projects in this new incursion.
However, the UNAM’s COLMENA mission is the only one from Mexico and Latin America that seeks to conquer the moon together with NASA.
What is the COLMENA mission?
The COLMENA project, developed by the Institute of Nuclear Sciences (ICN) of UNAM, aims to study the lunar soil and test strategies of micro-space robotics. Composed of five small robots, this project is a milestone in the aerospace history of Mexico and Latin America and took years of study, testing and research.
Launch date
The launch of the mission is scheduled for January 8, 2024. The Peregrine spacecraft, developed by Astrobotic together with NASA, will take COLMENA to the Moon.
Source: Expansion
