Peregrine Lunar Lander Mission Ends, Astrobotic Investigates Anomalies and Prepares for Larger NASA Lander
In a recent announcement, Astrobotic revealed that its Peregrine lunar lander mission has come to an end. The company is now focusing on understanding what went wrong with the spacecraft and making necessary changes for a much larger lander that will be used by NASA.
The U.S. Space Command confirmed on January 19th that Peregrine reentered the Earth’s atmosphere the previous day. However, specific details regarding the time and location of reentry were not provided. Astrobotic had initially planned for a reentry in the South Pacific at around 4 p.m. Eastern on January 18th.
During a call with reporters, John Thornton, the CEO of Astrobotic, explained that telemetry from the spacecraft was lost at 3:50 p.m. Eastern, followed by a loss of ranging with the spacecraft nine minutes later. These incidents aligned with the projected reentry time of 4:04 p.m. Eastern. Thornton mentioned that he was waiting for confirmation of the reentry from U.S. government agencies, which was later provided by the Space Command.
The conclusion of the mission marked the end of a journey that began more than 10 days earlier with a successful launch on a United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur. However, shortly after liftoff, the spacecraft experienced a propellant leak that prevented it from attempting a landing on the moon. Instead of risking further complications, Astrobotic decided to have the spacecraft reenter Earth’s atmosphere during its elliptical orbit.
Thornton admitted that allowing Peregrine to reenter was a difficult decision. The team had to weigh the options of sending it back to Earth or taking the risk of operating it in cislunar space. Continuing to operate the damaged propulsion system could have led to catastrophic situations and the creation of more debris. Thus, the responsible choice was to opt for an Earth impact.
This decision was made in consultation with NASA, the largest customer of the mission through its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. Joel Kearns, the deputy associate administrator for exploration in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, stated that while Peregrine was Astrobotic’s mission and spacecraft, NASA shared its view on the matter and provided recommendations on how to proceed.
With the Peregrine mission now complete, Astrobotic is focused on investigating the cause of the propellant leak. The leading hypothesis suggests that a valve failed to properly reseat in a helium pressurization system after launch. This failure caused a rush of helium into the oxidizer side of the propulsion system, leading to excessive pressure and tank rupture.
Astrobotic plans to convene a review board to analyze the data and confirm the cause of the propellant leak. This investigation will also determine the corrective actions needed for Griffin, a much larger lander being built by Astrobotic to transport NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) to the south polar region of the moon.
Despite the setback, Griffin remains scheduled for launch in November, and Astrobotic continues its work on the lander while investigating the Peregrine mission. The findings of the investigation will play a crucial role in determining any modifications required for the CLPS award for transporting VIPER to the moon. NASA wants to ensure a thorough understanding of the root cause and contributing factors before proceeding.
Although Peregrine did not successfully land on the moon, Thornton highlighted the achievements made by engineers and flight controllers. The mission control team in Pittsburgh remained composed and effectively diagnosed the propellant leak issue. They managed to reorient the spacecraft so that its solar panels could generate power before its batteries ran out.
Payloads onboard Peregrine, including four NASA instruments, were successfully activated and returned valuable data. While this data was not collected from the moon’s surface as originally intended, scientists believe it will provide insights into how these instruments may behave in the harsh environment of space during future CLPS flights.
Thornton expressed his pride in the Astrobotic team for their work on the truncated mission. Despite not achieving the primary objective of landing on the moon, the team faced and overcame numerous challenges, demonstrating the functionality of the spacecraft and the successful operation of payloads.
As Astrobotic moves forward with its investigation and prepares for the Griffin mission, the lessons learned from the Peregrine mission will undoubtedly contribute to future lunar exploration endeavors. The company’s commitment to space safety and responsible decision-making ensures that space remains accessible for all and paves the way for further scientific discoveries on the moon.