Launching things into space is hard. Aside from the engines and software, orbital calculations and the launch pad, the tanks that hold the fuel are a masterful example of engineering in their own right.

A new US rocket, United Launch Alliance (ULA)'s Vulcan Centaur, is to make its maiden flight on Christmas Eve with a payload that includes a private lunar lander.

The mission, called Cert-1, will also carry on board the cremated remains of several people associated with the original "Star Trek" series, including creator Gene Rodenberry and cast member Nichelle Nichols, who portrayed the character Uhura. Rodenberry's ashes have been launched into orbit before.

Liftoff is scheduled for December 24 from the US Space Force launch base at Cape Canaveral, Florida, United Launch Alliance (ULA) announced Tuesday evening.

"We'll be launching several times in '24," promised ULA's CEO Tory Bruno in an interview on CNBC. "When we get about halfway through '25, we'll be launching every two weeks, so you'll see a steady ramp up."

ULA describes the Vulcan Centaur as its "next generation" rocket that will provide higher performance and greater affordability than its current lineup, which includes the Atlas V.

Before this decade is out, NASA plans to return astronauts to the moon for the first time since the Apollo Era and build the necessary infrastructure to keep sending them back. And they will hardly be alone. Alongside NASA's Artemis Program, the European Space Agency also plans to send astronauts to the moon and establish a permanent habitat there (the Moon Village), while China and Russia are working toward creating the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). Numerous commercial space companies will also be there to provide crew transportation, cargo, and logistical services.

All of this will happen in the moon's southern polar region, a topographically complex region characterized by craters, permanently shadowed regions (PSRs), and undulating slopes. This terrain could prove difficult for crews conducting extravehicular activities (EVAs) away from landing sites and habitats.

In a recent study, an international team of researchers used data from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) to create a detailed atlas of the region that accounts for all the traverses and descents.