US spacecraft has ‘no chance’ of landing on Moon, scientists concede

The craft developed problems soon after separating from its launch rocket – Astrobotic

The stricken Peregrine lunar lander has “no chance” of landing on the Moon after springing a propellant leak in the first few hours of its journey in space, scientists said on Tuesday.

Astrobotic, the private company hoping to land the first American asset on the Moon in 50 years, said there is some fuel left on the lander that will allow it to operate “as a spacecraft” while engineers determine what its new mission in orbit will be.

Scientists had earlier admitted the lander was just hours away from an “uncontrollable tumble”.

Peregrine, which was scheduled to land on the Moon in late February, has less than two days of power left after a “propulsion anomaly” caused an issue to develop with its solar panels.

Engineers said they were racing to steer the lander “as close to lunar distance” as possible before they lose control of it.

An artist’s illustration of the Peregrine lander on the surface of the Moon

Technical issues developed soon after Peregrine separated from its launch rocket. A leak in its propulsion system means the lander has struggled to keep its solar panels pointing towards the Sun, which is needed to keep its battery charged.

Its thrusters are being used to maintain its alignment, but are now rapidly burning through the fuel needed for the mission ahead – meaning the craft now has just 40 hours left before it shuts down.

“At this time, the goal is to get Peregrine as close to lunar distance as we can before it loses the ability to maintain its sun-pointing position and subsequently loses power,” Astrobotic said.

The 1.2 ton lander launched from Cape Canaveral on Monday – Joe Skipper/Reuters

Peregrine was due to land on the Moon’s northern hemisphere on Feb 23, carrying the remains of former US presidents including John F Kennedy, George Washington, and Dwight Eisenhower.

It also has the remains of several Star Trek cast members as well as dozens of people whose families paid thousands of dollars for a “permanent memorial on a distant, but constantly viewable world”.

The 1.2-tonne lander launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida on Monday, making it the first American spacecraft to attempt a Moon landing since the final Apollo in 1972.

It was scheduled to hold its orbit before landing on a mid-latitude region of the Moon called Sinus Viscositatis, or Bay of Stickiness.

The mission, partly backed by Nasa, is the result of the US turning to the private sector to carry out space missions for a fraction of the cost.

Astrobotic Technology developed Peregrine under a $108 million contract with the space agency.

Nasa had purchased capacity on the lander for five instruments to study the lunar surface environment ahead of sending astronauts there later this decade, in a further blow to US space ambitions.

To date, only the US, China, the former Soviet Union and – last year – India have performed a soft landing on the Moon in what has become a new “space race” among the superpowers.

In August, Russia’s Luna-25 craft crash-landed before it could reach the Moon’s south pole in a blow to the prestige of the Roscosmos space agency.

%n

Discover Telegraph Wine Cellar’s new wine club. Enjoy expertly chosen bottles at exclusive member prices. Plus, free delivery on every order.