CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA – The first U.S. Moon landing in more than 50 years was put in peril Monday when a private company’s recently launched spacecraft discovered a “critical” fuel leak.
Astrobotic Technology, based in Pittsburgh, raced to orient its lander toward the sun so that the solar panel could collect sunlight as battery power ran low. Flight controllers’ efforts to charge the battery were successful, as a special crew assessed the status of “a failure in the propulsion system.”
However, it quickly became clear that “a critical loss of fuel” had lowered prospects even further.
“We are currently assessing what alternative mission profiles may be feasible at this time,” the corporation stated.
The malfunction was noticed roughly seven hours after Monday’s pre-dawn launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander was launched by United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket, sending it on a long, winding trip to the Moon.
US Company Says Its Moon Landing Attempt Is In Jeopardy Because Of A ‘Critical’ Fuel Leak
According to the corporation, if the propulsion system fails, it “threatens the spacecraft’s ability to soft land on the moon” on February 23.
Astrobotic aimed to be the first private company to successfully land on the Moon, a feat only four countries had achieved. A second lander from a Houston startup is scheduled to launch next month. NASA awarded the two corporations millions to build and launch their lunar landers.
The space agency wants the privately owned landers to scout the area before astronauts arrive, carrying technology and science experiments for the space agency, other countries, and institutions and random items for other consumers. Astrobotic’s contract with NASA for the Peregrine lander cost $108 million.
Before the flight, NASA’s deputy associate administrator for exploration, Joel Kearns, stated that while employing private enterprises to make deliveries to the Moon will be less expensive and faster than traditional government methods, there will be an increased risk. On Monday, he emphasized that the space agency was willing to take that risk, stating that “each success and setback are opportunities to learn and grow.”
US Company Says Its Moon Landing Attempt Is In Jeopardy Because Of A ‘Critical’ Fuel Leak
The United States last launched a lunar landing mission in December 1972. Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt of Apollo 17 became the 11th and 12th men to walk on the Moon, marking the end of an era that has remained NASA’s apex.
The space agency’s new Artemis program, named after Apollo’s twin sister in Greek mythology, aims to return people to the lunar surface within the next few years. The first mission will be a lunar fly-around with four people, possibly before the end of this year.
The eagerly anticipated first test launch of the Vulcan rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station made Monday’s moonshot stand out. The 202-foot (61-meter) rocket is essentially an enhanced version of ULA’s highly successful Atlas V, which is being phased out alongside the Delta IV. Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ rocket business, furnished the Vulcan with two primary engines.
ULA announced success when the lander was released from the rocket’s upper stage, over an hour into the mission, and before the spacecraft’s propulsion system failed, preventing the solar panel from properly facing toward the sun. The lander is outfitted with engines and thrusters for manoeuvring throughout the voyage to the Moon and during lunar descent.
US Company Says Its Moon Landing Attempt Is In Jeopardy Because Of A ‘Critical’ Fuel Leak
Landing on the Moon has historically been a series of successes and failures. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Soviet Union and the United States conducted a series of successful moon landings before pausing the program. China joined the elite group in 2013, and India in 2023. Last year, however, Russian and private Japanese landers slammed onto the Moon. In 2019, an Israeli nonprofit crashed.
Next month, SpaceX will launch Intuitive Machines’ lander. The Nova-C lander’s more direct one-week course may result in both spacecraft attempting to land within days or even hours of one other.
Aside from flying experiments for NASA, Astrobotic established its own freight business, packing the 6-foot-tall (1.9-meter-tall) Peregrine lander with everything from a chip of rock from Mount Everest and toy-size cars from Mexico that will catapult to the lunar surface and cruise around, to the ashes and DNA of deceased space enthusiasts such as “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry and science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke.
The Navajo Nation has asked to postpone the launch due to the human remains. Arguing that it would be a “profound desecration” of a celestial body treasured by Native Americans. Astrobotic CEO John Thornton acknowledged that the December objections arrived too late but offered to work with the Navajo to find “a good path forward” for future missions.
Celestis, one of the spaceflight memorial firms that purchased space on the lander, said that no single culture or faith owns the Moon and, therefore, does not have the authority to veto a trip. More remnants are aboard the rocket’s upper stage, launched into a constant orbit around the sun extending as far as Mars.
Peregrine cargo prices varied from a few hundred dollars to $1.2 million per kilogram (2.2 pounds), insufficient to cover Astrobotic’s costs. However, Thornton believes this is not the goal of the first flight.
“A lot of people’s dreams and hopes are riding on this,” Thornton explained days before the journey.
SOURCE- (AP)
