SPACE — The Peregrine spacecraft failed to reach the moon because it experienced a fuel leak shortly after launch last week. In the latest update from the private company Astrobotic, the plane which also carries human remains and DNA is now on a collision course with Earth.
Peregrine was launched towards the moon on January 8 aboard the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan Centaur rocket. However, it experienced a fatal fuel leak shortly after separating from the rocket.
The loss of fuel thwarted efforts by NASA and the US to make Peregrine the first private aircraft to land safely on the moon. Although Astrobotic has struggled to keep the lander alive as long as possible, it all depends on its trajectory.
“Our latest assessment now shows that the spacecraft is on a path towards Earth, where it will most likely burn up in Earth’s atmosphere,” wrote Astrobotic in an update on X (Twitter) on Saturday or Sunday Indonesian time.
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Astrobotic did not provide an estimated date for when Peregrine will hit Earth’s atmosphere, although the company’s engineers are still working to save the spacecraft. “The team is currently assessing options and we will update as soon as possible,” Astrobotic wrote.
On Sunday, Peregrine was about 389,000 kilometers from Earth. That location is just outside the moon’s orbit, which circles Earth at a distance of about 384,400 km.
Peregrine was the first private US lunar lander to be launched and the first to carry NASA experiments and commercial payloads to the moon. It was also the first mission to fly under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program.
The plane carried five NASA experimental instruments and 15 other payloads for various customers. Among them, human remains for burial on the moon were brought by the companies Celestis and Elysium Space.
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The payload from the two space burial companies made the mission controversial. A week before the launch, the US Navajo Nation urged NASA and its government to cancel the mission. However, their requests were ignored.
Astrobotic has stated that Peregrine’s fuel leaks have slowed down, so engineers can extend the aircraft’s service life. However, landing on the moon was still impossible.
Astrorobotics and NASA officials are expected to hold a press conference on Thursday, January 18, 2025 to discuss the status of the mission. Source: Space.com
2024-01-15 12:18:00
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