A private spacecraft carrying a piece of technology developed by the UK has begun its journey to the moon.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.It is also slated to be one of the first US moon landings since the final mission of the Apollo programme - Apollo 17 - more than 50 years ago.

A private spacecraft carrying a piece of technology developed by the UK has begun its journey to the moon.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.It is also slated to be one of the first US moon landings since the final mission of the Apollo programme - Apollo 17 - more than 50 years ago.