CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The first US moon landing in more than 50 years is in jeopardy Monday after a private company’s newly launched spacecraft suffered a “critical” fuel leak.
Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic Technology is racing to direct its lander toward the sun so that solar panels can collect sunlight, when battery power runs low.
Flight controllers’ efforts paid off to charge the batteries, as special forces assessed the status of what was called a “failure in the propulsion system.”
It soon became clear, however, that there was a “critical loss of fuel,” further dimming hope.
“We are evaluating alternative mission profiles that may be feasible at this time,” the company said in a statement.
The problem was reported about seven hours after liftoff early Monday morning from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket provides lift for the Astrobotic lander, named Peregrine, putting it on a long circular path to the moon.
If the propulsion system is at fault, it “threatens the spacecraft’s ability to soft-land on the moon” on February 23, the company said.
Astrobotic aims to be the first private business to successfully land on the moon, something only four countries have achieved.
A United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket lifts off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on January 8, 2024. Craig Bailey/Florida Today via AP
A second lander from the Houston company will be launched next month. NASA gave two companies millions to build and fly their own lunar landers.
The space agency wants privately owned landers to reach the place before astronauts arrive while delivering technology and science experiments for space agencies, other nations and universities as well as possibilities and ends for other customers.
Astrobotic’s contract with NASA for the Peregrine lander is $108 million.
Before the flight, NASA’s Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration, noted that while using a private company to make a shipment to the moon would be cheaper and faster than going the regular government route, there would be additional risks.
The Peregrine lunar lander at Astrobotic Technology’s Pittsburgh facility. Jordan K Reynolds/Astrobotics Technology via AP
He emphasized that the space agency is willing to accept that risk, saying Monday: “Every success and setback is an opportunity to learn and grow.”
The last time the US launched a moon landing mission was in December 1972.
Apollo 17’s Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt became the 11th and 12th men to walk on the moon, closing an era that remains NASA’s pinnacle.
The space agency’s new Artemis program – named after Apollo’s twin sister in Greek mythology – looks set to return astronauts to the lunar surface within the next few years.
The first is to fly around the moon with four astronauts, probably before the end of the year.
Highlighting Monday’s moonshot was the long-delayed initial test flight of the Vulcan rocket from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The 202-foot rocket is essentially an upgraded version of the highly successful Atlas V, which is being phased out alongside the company’s Delta IV.
Jeff Bezos’ rocket company, Blue Origin, provided the Vulcan’s two main engines.
ULA declared success as soon as the lander broke free from the rocket’s upper stage, nearly an hour into the flight and before the spacecraft’s propulsion system malfunctioned and prevented the solar panels from pointing properly toward the sun.
The lander is equipped with engines and thrusters for propulsion, not only during the voyage to the moon but for the lunar descent.
Landing on the moon has long been a hit and miss series. The Soviet Union and the US launched a string of successful moon landings in the 1960s and 70s, before putting the landings on hold.
The maiden flight of the Vulcan rocket is seen from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Malcolm Denemark/Florida Today via AP
China joined the elite club in 2013 and India in 2023. But last year also saw a Russian lander and a private Japanese company crash on the moon. An Israeli non-profit organization crashed in 2019.
Next month, SpaceX will provide an elevator for the lander from the Intuitive Machine. A more direct one-week path of the Nova-C lander could see the two spacecraft attempt to land within days or hours of each other.
In addition to flying experiments for NASA, Astrobotic launched its own transportation business, packing the 6-foot-tall Peregrine lander with everything from rock fragments from Mount Everest and toy-sized cars from Mexico that would soar to the lunar surface and cruise around. , to the ashes and DNA of space enthusiasts, including “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry and science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke.
The Navajo Nation recently requested that the launch be delayed due to human remains. saying it would be a “profound desecration” of a celestial body revered by Native Americans.
Astrobotic Chief Executive John Thornton said the protest in December was too late but promised to try to find a “good way forward” with the Navajo for future missions.
One of the spaceflight memorial companies that bought rooms on the lander, Celestis, said in a statement that no single culture or religion owns the moon and should not be able to veto a mission.
More remains are in the rocket’s upper stage, which is boosted into a continuous orbit around the sun all the way to Mars.
Cargo fares for Peregrine range from a few hundred dollars to $1.2 million per kilogram (2.2 pounds), not enough for Astrobotic to break even. But for this first flight, that’s not the point, according to Thornton.
“A lot of people’s dreams and hopes are sailing it,” Thornton said a few days before the flight.
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