image copyrightAstrobotic
Photo caption,
Astrobotic planned for the module to land on the Moon at the end of February
4 hours ago
The American Peregrine lander no longer has a chance of making a soft landing on the Moon.
This was stated by the company that developed it, Astrobotic Technologies. The cause was a fuel leak.
Although the company previously said it had successfully repurposed the ship to recharge its solar batteries, the latest report said Peregrine’s engines “will likely be able to operate for no more than 40 hours.”
“Our goal at this time,” Astrobotics said, “is for Peregrine to get as close to the Moon as possible while it can maintain its current orientation toward the Sun. We continue to work to extend the life of the module.”
The 1.2-ton lander was launched from Cape Canaveral at 02:18 on Monday. It was expected to land on the Moon at the end of February.
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Peregrine ran into problems almost immediately after lifting off its launch vehicle on Monday.
Literally in the first hours of its independent flight, engineers noticed that it had difficulty maintaining its orientation to the Sun, which was required to charge its on-board batteries.
They quickly discovered a serious fuel leak in the module’s propulsion system, which caused it to become disorientated.
Therefore, now, in order to maintain the required direction in flight, the module’s engines have to work with additional load. It, in turn, requires more fuel, the reserves of which are decreasing literally before our eyes.
Astrobotic experts believe that after the fuel reserves are completely depleted, the module will begin to somersault, completely lose the ability to charge batteries from the Sun and quickly lose power.
image copyrightAstrobotic
Photo caption,
Peregrine’s image of warped layers of insulation seemed to confirm problems with the propulsion system
The American space agency NASA acquired five instruments on the landing module to study the lunar surface. Sending astronauts to the Moon is planned for the end of this decade.
Astrobotic is the first of three US companies to send a lander to the Moon this year as part of a new public-private partnership with NASA.
In total, this partnership plans to send six missions to the Moon in 2024.
NASA believes its new lunar partnership with the private sector will lead to more innovation and lower costs over time. The agency also says it is prepared for the possibility that some of these missions will fail.
The Peregrine lander was launched aboard the maiden flight of the Vulcan rocket, which was developed over a decade by United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
2024-01-09 20:20:37
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