Space.com
By Mike Wall
January 9, 2024
The moon dreams of Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander are officially dead.
Peregrine launched early Monday morning (Jan. 8) on the debut mission of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket. The liftoff went well, but Peregrine experienced an anomaly shortly after deploying from the rocket’s Centaur upper stage.
The robotic lander couldn’t orient itself properly to charge its solar panels, an issue that Astrobotic soon traced to the craft’s propulsion system. Mission team members determined that Peregrine was leaking propellant, an ongoing problem that will prevent the probe from carrying out its mission.