A US spacecraft ‘Peregrine Mission One’ suffered a technical problem within the propulsion system on Monday, causing a severe loss of propellant. The spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, to make a controlled landing on the Moon.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration and Astrobotic have collaborated to explore the impact of five NASA science investigations conducted aboard the company’s Peregrine Mission One spacecraft.
“Unfortunately, it appears that a failure within the propulsion system is causing a severe loss of propellant. The team is working to try to stabilize this loss, but given the situation, we have prioritized maximizing the science and data we can capture,” Astrobotic said on Twitter (formerly Twitter). wrote.
The company is currently assessing alternative mission profiles that may be possible to fix the problem at this time. “We are currently assessing what alternative mission profiles may be possible at this time.”
A few hours after the technical problem, Astrobotic reported that due to an ongoing propellant leak the spacecraft’s Attitude Control System (ACS) was operating well beyond its expected service life cycle to prevent the lander from falling uncontrolled .
Peregrine became the first American commercial lunar lander to launch a mission to the Moon. NASA said in an official statement that shortly after the spacecraft separated, Peregrine experienced a propulsion problem.
Industry-developed technology, some of which has never flown in space, is used in privately designed and developed spacecraft. The exact cause is still not known.
“There are many challenges with space flight, and we are incredibly proud of Astrobotic and the NASA teams who brought us one step closer to a robotic return to the lunar surface,” said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for Exploration in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. Is.” “As part of Artemis.”
“This delivery service model is a first for the agency and the risk is high with something new,” Joel said.
“NASA is committed to supporting our commercial vendors as they accomplish the very difficult task of sending science and technology to the lunar surface,” he said.
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