The first US moon landing attempt in more than 50 years appeared to be doomed after a private company’s spacecraft developed a “critical” fuel leak just hours after Monday’s launch.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based Astrobotic Technology managed to orient its lander toward the sun so the solar panel could collect sunlight and charge its battery, as a special team assessed the status of what was termed “a failure in the propulsion system.”
However, it soon became apparent that there was “a critical loss of fuel,” further dimming hope for what had been a planned moon landing on Feb. 23.
Photo: AFP / Astrobotic
The company late on Monday said that the leak was continuing and estimated that the lander would start losing solar power in about 40 hours.
The trouble was reported about seven hours after Monday’s predawn liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket provided the lift for Astrobotic’s lander, named Peregrine, putting it on a long, roundabout path to the moon.
A propulsion system problem “threatens the ability of the spacecraft to soft land on the moon,” the company said.
The lander is equipped with engines and thrusters for maneuvering, not only during the cruise to the moon, but for lunar descent.
Astrobotic released a photograph from a lander-mounted camera, which the company said showed a “disturbance” in a section of thermal insulation. That aligns with what is known so far of the problem, the company said.
Astrobotic was aiming to be the first private business to successfully land on the moon, something only four nations have accomplished. A second lander from a Houston, Texas-based company is due to launch next month.
NASA gave the two companies millions to build and fly their own lunar landers.
The space agency wants the privately owned landers to scope out the place before astronauts arrive, while delivering technology and science experiments for the space agency, other nations and universities. Astrobotic’s contract with NASA for the Peregrine lander was US$108 million and it has more in the pipeline.
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