đTHIS Is Why Dogecoin Could Become the First Intergalactic Cryptocurrency...đȘ
This morning, a mission to launch a physical Dogecoin to the moon, nine years in the making, finally came to fruition. But what happened next was filled with more drama and excitement than even the closest observers of the Dogecoin saga have come to expect.
Anticipation started to rise on Sunday, when lunar-lander manufacturer Astrobotic confirmed a Dogecoin was indeed onboard its Peregrine lander bound for the moon.
At 2:18 am this morning, the Vulcan Rocket carrying the Peregrine lander achieved liftoff from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral.
Both NASA and the United Launch Alliance reported that the launch was a success, marking the USâs first return trip to the moon since 1972.
Elon posted congratulations to the ULA, signifying his awareness of the historic mission.
At 3:09 am, the ULA reported that the Peregrine lander had separated from the Vulcan rocket.
A few minutes later, Astrobotic reported the lander had established communication with Earth and was beginning its 40-day journey to the moon.
After powering on, the lander began the process of orienting its solar panels toward the sun to charge its battery.
At 9:37 am, Astrobotic posted a report that âan anomaly occurred, which prevented Astrobotic from achieving a stable sun-pointing orientation.â
A follow-up report described âa propulsion anomaly that, if proven true, threatens the ability of the spacecraft to soft land on the Moon.â
A third, more optimistic update said that âan improvised maneuver was succesful in reorienting Peregrineâs solar array towards the Sunâ while describing a suspected failure in the propulsion system.
At 1:03 pm, Astrobotic wrote that the propulsion system failure had led to âa critical loss of propellantâ and the team was âassessing what alternative mission profiles may be feasible at this time.â
Three hours later, Astrobotic posted a photograph from Peregrine with another update providing a sliver of optimism.
At press time, the DogeArmy is awaiting further information from Astrobotic.
The mission is seemingly left with three possible outcomes:
1) Astrobotic fixes the propulsion issue and achieves a soft moon landing
2) The propulsion system is not fixed and Peregrine floats off into space until the end of time
3) Peregrine is able to chart a trajectory toward the moon where it either enters orbit or crash lands on the moonâs surface
The issues with Peregrine present an interesting developments for the crypto space race.
The Peregrine lander contains both a physical gold-plated Dogecoin and a physical Bitcoin, whose transportation was arranged by crypto exchange BitMex and Bitcoin Magazine.
While the Dogecoin has been in the works since 2015, the Bitcoin was added to the launch in 2021 after Elon threw his support behind Doge. The Bitcoin announcement kicked off a semi-friendly rivalry between the two crypto communities to see which would reach the moon first.
That both coins were on the Peregrine lander represented a compromise, meaning the title of âfirst crypto on the moonâ would be simultaneously awarded to Bitcoin and Dogecoin.
However, with Peregrineâs lunar journey in jeopardy, the race to the moon has potentially opened up once again.
Todayâs developments bring added importance to the upcoming DOGE-1 satellite launch.
The latest press release has the mission targeting a multi-day launch window in mid-February.
If the Peregrine lander doesnât reach the moon, would DOGE-1 manufacturer Geometric Energy Corp consider outfitting the satellite with a physical Dogecoin?
After all the drama of todayâs launch, one thing is certain: a physical Dogecoin has escaped Earth orbit and is floating in space.
Where it ends up, and how it gets there, is anyoneâs guess at this point.
Right now, it seems likely that either Dogecoin lands on the moon, or charts a course for deep space and becomes, with Bitcoin, the first intergalactic financial asset ever. No matter what happens, Dogecoin saga continues to provide maximum entertainment.
What would you rather see: Dogecoin float off into space that might one day be recovered by alien civilizations, or a crash-land into the moon?
