The first private Moon lander – built by startup Astrobotic to carry NASA instruments and private payloads to the lunar surface – is in trouble: spacecraft's propulsion system malfunctioned shortly after launch on Monday.
Selected for NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, Astrobotic was poised to become the first-ever company to land on the surface of the Moon, a feat that has only been achieved by governmental space agencies from the US, Soviet Union, China and India so far.
But the company's Peregrine Lunar Lander suffered an anomaly and was forced to enter safe mode, despite being successfully launched into space earlier in the day.
"Unfortunately, it appears the failure within the propulsion system is causing a critical loss of propellant," Astrobotic said in its latest update.
"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. We are currently assessing what alternative mission profiles may be feasible at this time.
At 0218 ET (0718 UTC) the company's Peregrine Lunar Lander was launched aboard the United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The mission was off to a good start. Astrobotic confirmed that the probe had separated from the Vulcan rocket around 500 kilometers above the Earth. The Peregrine Lunar Lander turned on and was connected to NASA's Deep Space Network to exchange telemetry signals.
Problems began, however, when the spacecraft failed to orient its solar panels towards the Sun. Mission control attempted to reposition the probe, allowing Peregrine's batteries to begin charging, but, with a lack of propellant and the unspecified propulsion system flaw, the probe's lander probably won't be able to attempt a soft touchdown on the Moon.
Unfortunately, that means the 20 payloads sent by space agencies, universities, and private customers around the world carried by the Peregrine Lunar Lander, will also fail to be used as specified. NASA will lose a laser retroreflector array, and four different spectrometers designed to study the lunar exospheres and soil, as well as monitor local radiation levels.
Meanwhile, Germany and Mexico's respective radiation detector and small robots will likely be destroyed too. Other payloads include time capsules, artwork, books, music, and cryptocurrency sent by private companies from the UK, Japan, Canada, Hungary, the Seychelles, and Argentina.
The space agency's administrator Bill Nelson had warned that Astrobotic's Peregrine Mission One was risky.
"These high-risk missions will not only conduct new science at the Moon, but they are supporting a growing commercial space economy while showing the strength of American technology and innovation," he said after the initial launch.
"We have so much science to learn through CLPS missions that will help us better understand the evolution of our solar system and shape the future of human exploration for the Artemis Generation."
It's not clear where the spacecraft is right now and what will happen if and when it loses all its fuel, but it doesn't look like it'll get a chance to attempt a soft landing on the Moon. The Register has asked Astrobotic for comment. ®
Source: The register