FOX News correspondent Jonathan Selley reported that Astrobotic Technology's engineers are working to fix an “anomaly” that affected the lunar module's failure.
Astrobotic said it had lost contact with the lunar module Peregrine over the open ocean of the South Pacific after predicting it would “burn up” during re-entry into Earth's atmosphere.
The announcement marks the end of a difficult lunar landing mission that began on January 8 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The Pittsburgh company had hoped its Peregrine lander would become the first American spacecraft to land on the moon in more than 50 years, but plans were scrapped after the lander developed problems with its propulsion system after liftoff. I had no choice but to cancel it.
“As expected, Astrobotic lost telemetry with the Peregrine spacecraft at approximately 3:50 p.m. ET,” the company said in a statement Thursday. “This indicates that the vehicle completed a controlled reentry over the open ocean of the South Pacific at 4:04 p.m., but we are awaiting independent confirmation from government agencies.”
Astrobotic said earlier this week that it is working with NASA and U.S. government agencies to “evaluate the final trajectory in which the vehicle is expected to burn out” and that the mission team will “minimize the risk of debris reaching land.” We have taken steps to ensure this.” ”
US mission has 'no chance' of soft landing on moon after major failure
An image of Earth taken by the Peregrine Lunar Module on Thursday, January 18th. Astrobotic said, “The first attempts to take this photo produced an oversaturated image where the sun made the image too bright to see the Earth. As a result, Team P (Astro robot technology)
“I'm very proud of what our team accomplished on this mission, which overcame tremendous challenges to recover and operate the spacecraft after Monday's propulsion anomaly,” said Astrobotic CEO John Thornton. It was an honor to witness the heroic efforts of the air traffic control team with my own eyes.” he said last weekend.
“This mission has already taught us a lot and has given us great confidence that the next mission to the Moon can achieve a soft landing,” he added.
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United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur rocket will lift off on its maiden voyage from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on January 8 with Astrobotic's Peregrine lunar module aboard. (Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Astrobotic has announced that its Peregrine spacecraft will attempt to land on the moon on February 23, before running into any difficulties.
However, the day after the launch, it was announced that “Unfortunately, there is no possibility of a soft landing on the moon, considering the propellant leak.''
This 2024 illustration by Astrobotic Technology depicts the Peregrine lunar module on the moon. (Astrobotic Technology/AP / AP image)
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The last U.S. mission to the moon was Apollo 17 in 1972.
