After a successful process early launch on mondayEngineers controlling the robotic Peregrine lunar lander encountered problems steering the spacecraft properly; This was a potentially crippling problem for the first U.S. lunar lander since the Apollo program more than 50 years ago.
Inside short descriptionSpacecraft manufacturer Astrobotic said the initial check and activation of Peregrine’s systems went well, following its departure from United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan rocket.
“All of the astrobotic structured avionics systems, including the primary command and data processing unit as well as thermal, propulsion and power controllers, were up and running as expected,” the Pittsburgh-based company said.
“Unfortunately, an anomaly has occurred that prevents Astrobotic from obtaining a stable sun-pointing orientation. The team is responding in real-time as the situation unfolds and will provide updates as data is acquired and analyzed.”
In the second update, the company said Engineers believe the likely cause of the sun-pointing issue is “a thrust anomaly that, if proven correct, threatens the spacecraft’s ability to make a soft landing on the moon.”
Additionally, Astrobotic said, “The spacecraft’s battery is reaching operational low levels.” Commands were sent to reorient Peregrine to improve solar power production, but the spacecraft then entered a region of its orbit where communications were lost. Once contact was restored, engineers confirmed that the spacecraft’s solar panels were pointed toward the sun, helping to charge the onboard batteries.
“It appears that the malfunction in the propulsion system is causing a critical loss of propellant. The team is working to offset this loss, but given the current situation, we have prioritized maximizing the scientific data and data we can obtain. We are currently evaluating what we can do. The company is working on alternative He stated that task profiles may be possible now.
The Peregrine lander is the first American spacecraft to land on the lunar surface in more than 50 years and only the third spacecraft developed as a non-governmental commercial venture. Two previous business ventures, one launched by an Israeli group and the other by a Japanese company, failed in 2019 and 2023 respectively.
“Flying to the surface of the moon and conducting lunar missions is a very, very challenging task,” Astrobotic CEO John Thornton said before the launch. “Only half of these missions have been successful, and most of them were funded by the superpowers. … So this is a really big challenge and we recognize that. Eyes are wide open.”
“If we have a bad day somewhere in the mission, we will collect all the data we have received so far and learn from it… We will be smarter and ready for the next one.”
Carrying science experiments, a time capsule and human “creams”
Peregrine is the first of a series of private-sector lunar missions funded under a NASA program (the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, or CLPS) that aims to encourage the development of lunar transportation and for-hire surface delivery services.
NASA paid Astrobotic $108 million to deliver five advanced science instruments and a navigation sensor to the moon.
The ship carries a total of twenty experiments and payloads, ranging from research instruments to works of art, a time capsule, a piece of Mount Everest, and even human “creams” from two companies that plan to send small portions of a loved one’s ashes into space.
Peregrine entered an elliptical Earth orbit early Monday on the first flight of United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan rocket. ULA plans to replace its powerful Atlas 5 and Delta 4 boosters with the more powerful, cheaper Vulcan.
The launch went off without a hitch at 2:18 a.m. EST on Monday, and Peregrine was released to fly on her own about 50 minutes later. A few minutes after that, Astrobotic reported that engineers received telemetry from the lander, which showed that the spacecraft was in good condition at launch.
The flight plan calls for Peregrine to remain in a highly elliptical Earth orbit for initial checks and tests before firing its own thrusters to head toward the moon. The launch was timed to land during daylight on February 23 near a volcanic feature known as the Gruithuisen Domes.
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