Astrobotic’s lunar lander Peregrine suffers “critical” propellant loss
Astrobotic Technology, the company responsible for the first lunar lander to launch from the United States in five decades, has announced that its spacecraft has experienced “critical” propellant loss while attempting to correct itself after running into a major issue in space.
The lunar lander, known as Peregrine, faced trouble just hours after its launch from Florida towards the moon early Monday morning. Astrobotic stated that the spacecraft was unable to position itself facing the sun, likely due to a propulsion issue, which prevented it from charging its batteries.
According to a mission update posted at 1 p.m. ET, the company stated, “Unfortunately, it appears the failure within the propulsion system is causing a critical loss of propellant. 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.”
This turn of events raises doubts about the spacecraft’s expected landing on the moon on February 23, as originally planned.
Astrobotic was initially able to make contact with the vehicle after its 2:18 a.m. ET launch. An improvised maneuver was executed to reorient the solar panels towards the sun, which proved successful, allowing the spacecraft to start charging its battery. However, the underlying propulsion issue still needs to be corrected for the spacecraft to make a soft touchdown on the moon.
The lunar lander, named Peregrine after the fastest bird in the world, had a successful first leg of its trip after lifting off atop a Vulcan Centaur rocket developed by the joint Lockheed Martin and Boeing venture, United Launch Alliance. The Peregrine lander was delivered into a trans-lunar injection orbit, and it had begun communicating with NASA’s Deep Space Network and activated all its avionics systems as expected.
Astrobotic CEO John Thornton had previously viewed this first launch as a test mission, stating that it was more about the industry succeeding than any specific mission. The company had developed Peregrine under a $108 million contract with NASA, aiming to reduce the cost of putting a robotic lander on the moon as part of NASA’s vision.
Nevertheless, if the moon mission fails, it could have a significant impact not only on Astrobotic but also on NASA, other countries, and institutions with payloads aboard the Peregrine lander. It would also mean that Astrobotic is not able to test the vehicle’s ability to land on the lunar surface.
As more information becomes available, NASA plans to continue sharing updates and expects remarks from its administrator, Bill Nelson, later today. The outcome of the mission still hangs in the balance, as the company races against time to rectify the propulsion issue and salvage the mission.