US Moon Mission “Peregrine 1” Failed & Lander Burned Up Over South Pacific

The United States’ first “return to the moon” mission “Peregrine 1” in 52 years ended in failure. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), on January 18, local time, the “Peregrine 1” lunar lander launched by the American Aerospace Robotics Company (Astrobotic) re-entered the atmosphere underground control and burned up over the South Pacific.

The Aerospace Robotics Technology Company, headquartered in Pittsburgh, USA, issued a statement on social media saying that the company lost contact with the aircraft at around 15:50 Eastern Time on the 18th, which indicated that “the spacecraft lost contact with the aircraft.” “Falcon 1” crashed in an open water area in the South Pacific. The company is awaiting official confirmation from the government.

“Peregrine 1” lost

The BBC said that a ground tracking station in Canberra, Australia, also confirmed that the tracking signal of “Peregrine 1” was lost around 20:59 GMT on the 18th. Anticipated outcomes suggest that the “Peregrine Falcon 1” has likely undergone complete incineration within the atmosphere, with only minimal debris projected to descend into the sea, posing no threat to individuals.

On January 8, local time, the “Vulcan Centaur” launch vehicle developed by United Launch Alliance (ULA) performed its first flight at Cape Canaveral, launching the “Peregrine 1” developed by Aerospace Robotics. Lunar lander sent into space. This is the first time in 52 years since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972 that the United States has attempted a soft landing on the lunar surface.

However, a few hours after the successful launch, the “Peregrine 1” propulsion system failed. The oxidizer tank ruptured, causing propellant leakage. This caused the lander to rotate and the solar panels could not point stably towards the sun. Although the mission team remotely operated the lander to return it to a stable orientation, this exercise consumed more propellant.

On January 13, Aerospace Robotics announced that due to propellant leakage, it is no longer possible for the “Peregrine 1” lander to softly land on the moon. The lander will fly back to Earth and may burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere. But the company also said that all 10 power-requiring payloads on the lander were successfully launched, indicating that the power system is working properly.

On January 8, local time, the “Vulcan Centaur” carrier rocket carrying “Peregrine 1” was launched. Source: NASA

CNN commented that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is seeking to outsource lunar missions to private companies, using commercially developed, relatively cheap lunar landers to carry out exploration missions, and then carry out manned landings. Monthly tasks. The failure of “Peregrine 1” is obviously a blow to NASA and aerospace robotics companies.

According to reports, no lunar lander developed by private companies has successfully landed on the lunar surface. In 2019, the Beresheet lander manufactured by the Israeli company SpaceIL failed to land on the moon and crashed during landing. In 2023, the “HAKUTO-R” lander developed by Japan’s ispace company also crashed on the lunar surface.

It is expected that Aerospace Robotics will challenge the moon landing mission for the second time in the second half of this year, trying to send NASA’s “Viper” lunar rover to the moon. Houston-based Intuitive Machines may launch the Nova-C lander next month to attempt a soft landing near the moon’s South Pole.

But at the same time, the U.S. government’s manned moon landing plan encountered setbacks. On January 9, local time, NASA held a briefing and announced that it would postpone the “Artemis 2” manned lunar mission originally scheduled for 2024 to September 2025. The “Artemis 3” manned moon landing plan has been postponed to September 2026.

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