Controversy Surrounding Human Remains on Moon-Bound Spacecraft
Astrobotic Technology's Peregrine spacecraft faces critical propellant loss and is forced to abandon its moon landing attempt.
Astrobotic Abandons Moon Landing Attempt
Astrobotic Technology, the company behind the Peregrine spacecraft, has announced that it is abandoning its mission to land on the moon. The decision comes less than 24 hours after the vehicle's launch, as it has experienced critical propellant loss due to a fuel leak.
Shortly after the launch, it was revealed that Peregrine was not able to position itself correctly in relation to the sun, likely due to a propulsion issue. This prevented the spacecraft from charging its batteries. While the battery issue was resolved, the propulsion system problem remained unsolved.
Astrobotic stated that the thrusters of Peregrine's attitude control system, which are responsible for aligning the lander in space, were operating well beyond their expected service life cycles. The company estimates that these thrusters can only operate for about 40 more hours.
Fuel Leak Impedes Lunar Landing
A fuel leak is causing a propulsion system anomaly in the Peregrine lander. The thrusters of the lander's attitude control system have been strained to their limits in order to prevent an uncontrollable tumble. At this point, the main goal is to get Peregrine as close to lunar distance as possible before it loses power.
Astrobotic worked for hours to stabilize the issue, but a potential moon landing, originally scheduled for February 23, is no longer feasible. The company announced earlier that a failure within the propulsion system was draining the vehicle's fuel.
The first image of the Peregrine lander in space revealed that the outer layers of insulation were crinkled. This provided a visual clue that aligned with the telemetry data pointing to the propulsion system anomaly.
Successful Lift-Off but Setbacks Arise
The launch of the Vulcan Centaur rocket carrying the Peregrine lunar lander was successful. The Peregrine lander entered a trans-lunar injection orbit as planned, syncing it with the moon's trajectory. Initial communication with NASA's Deep Space Network was established, and the lander's systems performed as expected.
However, the lander experienced an anomaly that left it facing away from the sun, unable to charge its battery. Mission controllers were able to reorient the solar panels, but the underlying propulsion issue must still be addressed for a moon landing.
Astrobotic developed Peregrine under a contract with NASA and aimed to reduce the cost of robotic lunar landers. A successful mission would have been a crucial step for the company and its future prospects.
