The first US attempt to land on the moon in more than 50 years may be doomed to fail – after the spacecraft suffered a “critical” fuel leak shortly after liftoff Monday.
The lunar lander, dubbed Peregrine and built by Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic Technology, was also supposed to become the first NASA-financed commercial mission to the moon when it blasted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida before dawn.
The last time the US launched a moon-landing mission in 1972.
But problems arose after its successful separation from United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket.
The launch team discovered a “propulsion anomaly” that hindered their ability to orient Peregrine’s solar panels toward the sun to charge its battery, the company explained on X.
A United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Jan. 8, 2024. Craig Bailey/Florida Today via APAs Astrobotic frantically worked to resolve the issue, Peregrine’s battery was reaching critically low levels.
The company managed to devise and execute “an improvised maneuver” to properly orient the craft’s solar panels, which appeared to initially be successful.
However, in a follow-up post an hour after the hopeful update, Astrobotic revealed Peregrine’s propulsion system had suffered “a critical loss of propellant” – and that the problem would likely jeopardize its mission to perform a soft-landing on the moon.
“The team is working to try and stabilize this loss, but given the situation, we have prioritized maximizing the science and data we can capture,” the company said.
The Peregrine lunar lander at Astrobotic Technology’s Pittsburgh facility. Jordan K Reynolds/Astrobotic Technology via AP
The Vulcan rocket’s maiden flight seen from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Malcolm Denemark/Florida Today via AP“We are currently assessing what alternative mission profiles may be feasible at this time.”
Astrobotic had originally planned to land Peregrine on the moon on Feb. 23.
The mission – bankrolled by NASA to the tune of $108 million – was tasked with delivering technology and science experiments ahead of a series of manned missions to the moon the US space agency is planning as part of its Artemis program.
Peregrine was also carrying the ashes and DNA of deceased space enthusiasts, including “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry and science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke, as well as a chip of rock from Mount Everest.
The US has not undertaken a moon-landing mission since the December 1972 launch of Apollo 17, when astronauts Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt became the 11th and 12th men to ever set foot on the lunar surface.
