The first landing of an American spacecraft on the Moon in more than 50 years will probably have to wait: a private lander encountered an “anomaly” shortly after takeoff on Monday, and is now losing fuel in flight, the company Astrobotic said having developed it.
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The lander took off before dawn on Monday from Florida, aboard the new Vulcan Centaur rocket from the ULA group, which brings together Boeing and Lockheed Martin. The device, named Peregrine, was powered up shortly after separation from the rocket, and communication was successfully established.
But “ unfortunately, an anomaly has occurred », Explained Astrobotic in a statement on X. This prevented the company from reorienting the device towards the Sun, so that it could recharge its batteries using its solar panels. The company later explained that the problem resulted from “ probably » of a problem with the propulsion system. “ If that is the case “, that “ jeopardizes the ship’s ability to land on the Moon “, the company said.
A “ improvised maneuver » was carried out to reorient the solar panels towards the Sun, allowing the batteries to start charging again. But the failure of the propulsion system causes “ a critical loss » of fuel, Astrobotic then added. “ The teams are working to stabilize this loss, but given the situation, we have prioritized maximizing » scientific data that can be collected, the company said. “ We are currently evaluating what alternative mission profiles would be possible at this time. »
Peregrine was developed by Astrobotic with the support of NASA, which commissioned the company to transport scientific equipment to the Moon – a $108 million contract. “ Every mission is an opportunity to learn », Reacted NASA on X. Astrobotic hoped to become the first company to successfully land on the Moon. The moon landing attempt was scheduled for February 23.
In recent years, Israeli and Japanese companies have also attempted to land on the moon, but these missions ended in crashes. “ Leading America’s return to the surface of the Moon, for the first time since Apollo, is a tremendous honor “, declared Astrobotic boss John Thornton at a press conference on Friday. However, he said he was aware of the risks of failure.
(With AFP)