Astrobotic’s Peregrine Moon Lander Suffers Propulsion Anomaly
Astrobotic’s ambitious plan to become the first private spacecraft to land softly on the moon has hit a major roadblock. The company’s Peregrine moon lander, which launched early Monday morning (Jan. 8) atop United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan Centaur rocket, experienced a propellant leak shortly after deploying from the rocket’s upper stage.
The company has been working tirelessly to troubleshoot and analyze the issue, and it appears that they may have found a potential cause for the problem. In a recent update posted on Twitter, Astrobotic announced that a valve between the helium pressurant and the oxidizer failed to reseal after actuation during initialization, leading to a rupture of the oxidizer tank.
Despite the setback, Astrobotic has been transparent about the anomaly, providing regular updates on the situation. The company confirmed that the propellant leak will prevent Peregrine from landing on the moon as planned, and none of the lander’s 20 payloads, including those from NASA, will reach their intended destination.
The next Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) liftoff is scheduled for next month, when Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lander will launch toward the moon aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Despite the propulsion anomaly, Astrobotic stressed that the Vulcan Centaur rocket performed as expected and successfully inserted Peregrine into the planned translunar trajectory. There is no indication that the anomaly occurred as a result of the launch.
As Astrobotic continues to investigate the issue, the future of Peregrine’s mission and the company’s plans for future moon landings remain uncertain.