On Thursday, January 18, a private spacecraft, whose destination was supposed to be the moon, ended up back on Earth after suffering from a propulsion malfunction. Astrobotic Technology, based in Pittsburgh, revealed the loss of communication with its moon lander, Peregrine, via a post on the social network X, formerly known as Twitter. Upon notification, the craft entered Earth’s atmosphere over the South Pacific, resulting in its disintegration due to the tremendous heat. The United States Space Command officially confirmed the destruction of Peregrine on Friday.
The spacecraft had a perfect launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on January 8. Shortly after separating from the rocket’s second stage, however, Peregrine’s propulsion system encountered a major malfunction, preventing the craft from keeping its solar panels oriented towards the sun. The propulsion system was not the only issue. Even after Astrobotic’s successful reorientation of Peregrine for a battery recharge, a propellant leak determined the mission to land on the mood unattainable.
Astrobotic plans to convene a review board comprising space industry experts to investigate the incident and determine the root cause of the failure. The current hypothesis suggests a valve failure, causing a high-pressure flow of helium to rupture a propellant tank.
The primary payloads (instruments that are carried onboard spacecraft) on Peregrine were from NASA, part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program aimed at reducing the cost of lunar experiments by involving commercial companies. Astrobotic received $108 million from NASA to transport five experiments costing $9 million to build.
When Astrobotic confirmed that the spacecraft, redirected off course by the propellant leak, was on a trajectory to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere, the experiments Peregrine carried were lost, too. While this is certainly a setback, Astrobotic is contracted for a more significant lunar mission with NASA: the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER). Costing over $430 million, VIPER is scheduled to launch in November on Astrobotic’s larger lander, Griffin. However, NASA awaits the results of the investigation into the Peregrine incident before deciding whether to modify its plans for Griffin and the delivery of VIPER.
Despite its unfortunate end, the mission spanned an impressive 10 days, covering over half a million miles. Peregrine traveled beyond the moon’s orbit before reversing course towards Earth, missing its intended landing site on the lunar near side. Astrobotic remains determined to fulfill its lunar exploration commitments and build on the lessons learned from the Peregrine mission.
The recent incident involving Astrobotic’s Peregrine mission highlights the changing nature of the space field. With more private companies, like Astrobotic, SpaceX, and Blue Origin, entering the space exploration arena, space exploration continues to grow. Despite the setbacks, such as the propulsion system malfunction and subsequent loss of communication, private companies drive innovation but also challenge the traditional roles of government agencies in this field of study. The Peregrine mission, part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, sought to demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of involving commercial partners in lunar experiments. While setbacks are bound to happen at this stage, the commitment to overcoming challenges is what shapes the future of space exploration.
