NASA and Astrobotic's Peregrine Mission One: The successful launch and the propulsion issue

Wednesday - January 17 2024, 04:34 UTC - 10 months ago

Despite a successful launch, the Peregrine spacecraft encountered a propulsion issue that prevented a Moon landing. NASA and Astrobotic are working together to learn from the experience and plan for future missions.

On January 8, 2024, the world watched as Astrobotic's Peregrine spacecraft successfully launched on a mission to the Moon. As part of NASA's CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative, Peregrine became the first American commercial lunar lander to make the journey.Under the Artemis campaign, NASA is working towards establishing a sustainable presence on the Moon, with a plan to send crewed missions in the future .

As part of this effort, NASA is also supporting the development of a lunar economy, which includes a new commercial robotic delivery service. Peregrine's mission is to carry NASA science and technology instruments to the lunar surface.This mission was a significant milestone, not only for Astrobotic but also for the commercial space industry as a whole. Peregrine is a privately designed and developed spacecraft, using novel technologies that have never been flown in space before .

The success of this launch was a testament to the growing capabilities of the commercial space sector.However, shortly after the successful launch and separation from the rocket, the Peregrine spacecraft encountered a propulsion issue. This issue would ultimately prevent the spacecraft from making a soft landing on the Moon. According to Astrobotic, Peregrine will now re-enter Earth's atmosphere on January 18 and is expected to burn up .

In light of this issue, NASA is continuing to support Astrobotic in analyzing the data and identifying the root cause of the propulsion issue. Both parties are also working together to develop a plan for future CLPS and commercial flights. Although it may be too soon to understand the exact cause of the issue, NASA and Astrobotic are determined to learn from this experience and improve upon future missions .

In a statement, Dr. Nicola Fox, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, praised Astrobotic's efforts and perseverance in the face of a challenging situation. She also emphasized the importance of learning from setbacks in the unforgiving environment of space.Together, NASA and Astrobotic are committed to advancing the CLPS initiative and establishing a sustainable presence on the Moon .

This experience will serve as a valuable lesson in the development of future commercial missions and the exploration of our solar system.TL;DR: Astrobotic's Peregrine successfully launched as part of NASA's CLPS initiative, but encountered a propulsion issue that prevented a Moon landing. NASA continues to support Astrobotic in analyzing the issue and planning for future missions. The incident highlights the need to learn from setbacks when exploring space .