2024-01-09 18:08:00
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On Monday, January 8, 2024 the Peregrine robotic lunar modulea space vehicle built by a private company, took off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida aboard the Vulcan rocket.
Its main objective was complete a lunar landing or “soft landing” on the surface of the Moonbeing the first American ship to achieve this since 1972, and also the first commercial mission in history.
Although the launch was successful, it didn’t take long for them to appear problems that would hinder this goal. After takeoff, the ship suffered a propulsion system failure and began to continuously lose fuel.
Consequently, the planned moon landing will no longer be possibleand the team of experts is reassessing how much of the original goals can still be met to optimize Peregrine’s journey through space.
We analyze everything we know about the mission and the events that have taken place after its release.
Who was in charge of its construction?
The owner of the Peregrine probe is the private American company Astrobotic Technology from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, dedicated to carrying out payload transportation services to the Moon.
The lunar lander It measures approximately 1.9 meters high and 2.5 meters wide, and has engines and thrusters to maneuver during its trip and also during descent on the lunar surface.
However, the vehicle that allowed the probe to be launched into space has been built by the United Launch Alliance company (ULA), spacecraft launch provider. This is the Vulcan rocket, an improved version of the Atlas V, 61 meters long, whose main engines have been provided by Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ space company.
What load is the ship carrying?
Peregrine 1 is a commercial mission carried out by a private company, which means that Astrobotic you can sell your cargo space to other companies, space agencies, institutions and universities internationally.
One of these clients is none other than NASA, who has contracted the Peregrine capsule for 108 million dollars to send his scientific experiments and explore the lunar surface before sending astronauts.
Using the payload services of private companies NASA runs some additional risks, but the cost is much less than building and launching your own lunar missions.
However, although NASA is its main client, the Peregrine mission was also contracted by other companies to transport loads like a roverbuilt by students from Carnegie Mellon University, a group of small robots from the mexican space agencycultural articles and even some controversial ones cremated human remains.
Where and when did they want to land?
The plan for the ship was to land on the moon in Sinus Viscositatis, a plain adjacent to the Gruithuisen domes located at the northeastern limit of the Oceanus Procelarum, the largest of the lunar seas, on the visible side of the Moon.
NASA/GSFC/ Arizona State University
This image of Sinus Viscositatis, a flat region that was once a giant lava flow, shows the landing site of the Peregrine 1 module.
His landing was scheduled for February 23 2024, followed by a period of about 10 Earth days so that the module could carry out different operations.
What happened to the mission?
The Astrobotic experts They designed a trajectory for the lunar module that ultimately cannot be fulfilled. The ship would circle the Earth one and a half times and then enter lunar orbit 2 to 3 weeks after takeoff.
The start was a success: the rocket completed the initial stage of flight and the lunar module detached from it after approximately one hour. However, hours later the propulsion system failedpreventing the solar panels from facing the Sun in order to charge their battery.
NASA/Isaac Watson
The Vulcan rocket, carrying the Peregrine 1 lunar module, lifts off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Despite the stabilization maneuvers carried out by the lead team, the ship suffered a considerable fuel loss that would redefine the objectives set for the mission: the moon landing would no longer be possible.
Given the circumstances, Astrobotic experts are evaluating What data can they obtain from the trip to take advantage of the mission despite not being able to fulfill its initial objective.
What other objectives did you want to achieve?
The cargo sent by NASA aboard the Peregrine probe was intended locate water molecules on the Moon, measure radiation and gases, and evaluate the exosphere lunar to improve our understanding of the interaction of solar radiation with the lunar surface.
The data obtained from these analyzes will be provided to the Lunar-VISE instrument suite that is scheduled to land on the Gruithuisen domes in 2026, in addition to Other manned missions that could take place this decade.
What controversy is there with human ashes?
Sending human remains and DNA to the Moon has been considered a desecration of our satellite by the Navajo indigenous people, whose culture and spirituality is linked to this celestial body.
For this reason, The Navajo Nation has openly opposed sending the ashes humans traveling aboard the Peregrine lunar module through an official statement and a letter addressed to NASA, asking that the launch be postponed.
In response, the space agency has noted that has no direct control over the mission and payloads that are not its property, a responsibility that falls to Astrobotic, but which will support an intergovernmental meeting between the Navajo Nation and the company.
The failure of the mission has put a stop to these complaints, but it is undoubtedly an issue that will remain to be resolved for future missions that may carry a similar load.
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