Peregrine: Critical technical failures after launch threaten first US controlled landing mission on Moon in 51 years

The United States space module mission that took off this Monday from Cape Canaveral (Florida) with the aim of achieving a controlled landing on the lunar surface is in danger.

A robotic lunar module named Peregrine, which intends to become the first American spacecraft to complete a “soft” landing on the Moon in 51 years, and which First operated by a private company, serious technical problems were encountered after takeoff.

Astrobotic, the company hired by NASA to land Peregrine on the moon, announced in a statement hours after the launch that the spacecraft “experienced an anomaly that prevented it from stably pointing its solar panels at the sun” due to a failure in the propulsion system.

The Pittsburgh-based company said in a later note that the faulty propulsion system was leaking “critical” amounts of fuel.

The problem could derail the planned landing, and now Astrobotic is talking about changing its mission objectives. In other words, you’re thinking about what you can salvage from your original goals.

After being released from the Vulcan rocket, Peregrine’s problems arose soon after communication was established with ground controllers.

Engineers saw that the spacecraft Struggled to maintain a steady state with the sunWhich meant that its solar cells didn’t get a constant supply of sunlight to recharge the onboard batteries.

Power was reported to have reached operationally low levels.

Astrobotic engineers eventually identified the root cause of the problem as a failure in the propulsion system.

And although they were able to successfully reorient the spacecraft and charge the batteries, it was clear, the company said, Peregrine was losing fuel.

“The team is working to try to stabilize this loss, but given the situation, we have prioritized maximizing the science and data we can capture,” a statement read.

“We are currently evaluating what alternative mission profiles are possible at this time.”

Five scientific instruments aboard the spacecraft should study the lunar surface atmosphere in anticipation of human missions planned for this decade.

Peregrine is part of a wave of spacecraft that will attempt to land on the lunar surface in 2024, possibly sooner. Eight different projects, including Japan and China.

Astrobotic’s mission began on a new Vulcan rocket, which lifted off from its pad in Florida at 02:18 local time (07:18 GMT). Fifty minutes later, after full flight, the craft separated and propelled toward the moon.

It would take a few weeks to get it in position to attempt a moon landing.

However, with problems reported in recent hours, the mission appears to have been compromised.

The landing was planned for 23 February On a smooth lava valley on the near side of the Moon known as Sinus Viscositis or “Sticky Bay”, which refers to the type of volcanic material accumulated in the surrounding hills.

Since the last mission of the Apollo program in 1972, the US had not attempted a controlled landing on the lunar surface.However in the interim it sent several probes which crashed on purpose for one reason or another.

NASA has put lunar surface operations back on its agenda as it looks to resume its missions with astronauts soon and Typically a scientist will use his commercial partners to ship tools, equipment and supplies

In a move that will reduce costs in the long run, according to the agency.

Astrobotic is the first of three US companies that will send a lander under this new contract. Two other companies, Intuitive Machines and Firefly, will do so in the coming months.

All three companies have NASA as their “client,” but the space agency is not “in charge” of their missions. The companies themselves have designed the spacecraft and will be responsible for mission control.

NASA’s focus was on building the cargo aboard Peregrine Preparation for later human presence on the lunar surface.

The Peregrine Ion Mass Spectrometer (PITMS), for example, will try to better understand how water circulates on the Moon. Water is considered an important resource for future astronauts, whether for drinking or as a base for producing rocket fuel.

The main PITMS sensor was built by the Open University (OU) and space research and development center RAL-Space in the United Kingdom.

OU’s Dr. Simon Barber led the development. “Water is very important for astronauts to drink and for hygiene. It’s a really key molecule to unlocking the future of a new way of conducting space exploration,” he told BBC News.

Since NASA is only listed as a client in the mission, Astrobotic is free to sell cargo space to others. The most important additions on board include several small rovers A group of small two-wheeled robots from Mexico.

There are also cultural objects on board, such as photos, drawings, plaques and audio recordings. But, controversially, there is also a package of cremated human remains. Two companies have small “reminder” capsules in Peregrine. a Contains the DNA of famous British science fiction author Arthur C Clarke.

This fact has angered the Navajo Nation, one of the indigenous peoples of North America, who consider the moon a sacred place. They have urged NASA to stop the mission as they interpret it as an act of sacrilege.

The first attempt at a 2024 lunar landing will be led by the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) and is expected to take place on January 15.

JAXA’s Lunar Intelligent Research Lander Module (SLIM) will target a location near Shioli Crater, which is located slightly south of the Moon’s equator on its near side.

China will continue its recent exploration work on the moon by sending missions to the dark side to bring rocks back to Earth for study. This should be done in the middle of the year.

And remember to receive notifications. Download the new version of our app and activate it so you don’t miss our best content.