Human remains blasted into space on Vulcan rocket will 'desecrate' the moon, Navajo Nation says

The Peregrine lunar lander was onboard ULA's first-ever Vulcan Centaur rocket, which launched from Florida in the early hours of Jan. 8. (Image credit: GREGG NEWTON/AFP via Getty Images)

Editor's note: Updated at 3:25 p.m. EST — About six hours after its launch on Monday (Jan. 8), the Peregrine spacecraft ran into technical difficulties that could doom its trip to the moon. Astrobotic Technology, the the private American company that owns the spacecraft, announced that the Peregrine had sprung a leak and was losing rocket fuel needed for its moon landing. The future of the mission is now unclear.

The first-ever private lunar lander is on its way to the moon after successfully blasting off from Florida earlier today (Jan. 8). However, leaders of the Navajo Nation have criticized the launch because the lander is carrying some controversial cargo on its way to the lunar surface — human remains.