Six hours after liftoff, Astrobotic Technology's Peregrine lander suffered a technical failure that could have doomed the lunar landing mission.
The first photo taken by the Peregrine lander after launch. Photo: Astrobotic
Peregrine suffered a serious propulsion system failure on January 8, shortly after launching into space on United Launch Alliance's (ULA) new Vulcan Centaur rocket. The problem will prevent Peregrine from reaching the Moon as planned, according to Space . "A malfunction in the propulsion system is causing a fuel leak. The engineering team is working to resolve the issue, but given the circumstances, our priority is to collect as much science data as possible," said Astrobotic Technology, a Pittsburgh-based company.
The Peregrine launch is a major milestone in spaceflight, marking the smooth launch of the powerful Vulcan Centaur rocket that will replace ULA's Atlas V and Delta boosters, and ushering in a new era of private lunar exploration.
Peregrine is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, which aims to deliver scientific equipment on private, autonomous spacecraft. The lander carried five NASA payloads on the flight, including a radiation leak detector and several spectrometers designed to search for traces of water ice beneath the surface. NASA says that promoting private spacecraft will allow it to conduct more lunar research quickly and affordably, thereby preparing for a manned mission to the moon under the Artemis program. NASA also hopes that CLPS will help increase the capabilities of the U.S. private space sector and stimulate economic development beyond Earth.
NASA officials stress that each CLPS mission is a high-risk endeavor. No private spacecraft has ever successfully landed on the moon. “Every success and failure is an opportunity to learn and grow,” said Joel Kearns, associate administrator for exploration at NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “We will use these lessons to enhance our efforts to advance commercial development and scientific exploration of the moon.”
NASA experiments weren’t the only payload Peregrine was sending to the moon. The lander carried a total of 20 payloads, including Mexico’s first lunar probe and a memorial capsule from the space burial company Celestis. The spacecraft also carried human remains, including those of science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, his wife and children, and many others. It also carried DNA samples from US presidents George Washington, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan.
The problem threatens the first US attempt to land on the moon since 1972, after the Apollo program ended. To land on the moon, the 1.3-ton Peregrine spacecraft will need to reorient its engines to operate in controlled fuel burns as it descends. Peregrine is scheduled to make a looping route to its final landing site, and is expected to touch down on February 23.
Astrobotic Technology is the first of three American companies to send landers to the Moon this year. Together with Intuitive Machines and Firefly Aerospace, they are partnering with NASA and will launch five more missions to the Moon by 2024. The next private lunar lander to launch under NASA’s CLPS program is Nova-C, built by Houston-based Intuitive Machines. Nova-C will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in mid-February 2024 and land near the Moon’s south pole shortly thereafter.
An Khang (According to Space/Live Science )
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