Just hours after its launch from Florida towards the moon early Monday, the Peregrine lunar lander, the first US lunar lander in five decades, is facing uncertainties. Astrobotic Technology, the company behind Peregrine, initially contacted the vehicle after the 2:18 a.m. ET launch, but an anomaly occurred, hindering the lander from achieving a stable sun-pointing orientation, crucial for solar power to charge the spacecraft’s batteries.
Astrobotic is responding to the situation in real time, and updates will be provided as data is obtained and analyzed. The likely cause of the problem is believed to be a propulsion anomaly, jeopardizing the spacecraft’s ability to soft-land on the Moon. Mission controllers executed an improvised maneuver to reorient the solar panels toward the Sun, but the spacecraft entered an expected period of communication loss afterward.
Representatives for Astrobotic are yet to respond to requests for additional information. The Peregrine lander, launched atop a Vulcan Centaur rocket, initially appeared to have a successful first leg of its trip. It was the inaugural flight of the Vulcan Centaur rocket, a new vehicle designed to replace ULA’s older rockets. The rocket performed as expected, delivering the Peregrine lander into a trans-lunar injection orbit, but the subsequent anomaly raises concerns about the mission’s success. Astrobotic is actively troubleshooting the issue, as the spacecraft’s battery levels reach operationally low.
