Peregrine spacecraft abandons Moon landing less than 24 hours after the vehicle took off due to fuel leak

The Peregrine spacecraft, designed to carry cremated human remains, abandoned its mission to land on the Moon less than 24 hours after its launch due to a critical fuel leak. The spacecraft, developed by Astrobotic Technology, encountered difficulties shortly after its launch from Florida. The lunar lander faced challenges in positioning itself toward the sun, crucial for charging its batteries, due to a propulsion issue.

Although the battery problem was resolved, Astrobotic was unable to correct the propulsion system issue, which involved an ongoing propellant leak. The company stated that the leak caused the spacecraft’s Attitude Control System (ACS) thrusters to operate beyond their expected service life cycles to prevent an uncontrollable tumble. Astrobotic’s goal was to bring Peregrine as close to lunar distance as possible before losing its ability to maintain a sun-pointing position, resulting in a loss of power.

The company estimated that the thrusters would operate for at most 40 more hours, ruling out the previously scheduled moon landing on February 23. The ongoing propellant leak became a critical factor, preventing the successful execution of the lunar landing mission.

Astrobotic had shared an image of the Peregrine lander in space, revealing crinkled outer layers of insulation, which aligned with telemetry data indicating a propulsion system anomaly. Despite hours of efforts to stabilize the issue and explore options, the lunar mission faced insurmountable challenges, illustrating the complexities and uncertainties involved in space exploration.

The Peregrine mission aimed to be the first lunar lander launched from the United States in five decades, emphasizing the pioneering efforts of private companies in advancing space exploration capabilities.