A private American lunar lander, Peregrine, which has been losing fuel throughout its journey, is now heading towards Earth and is likely to burn up in the atmosphere, the company reported on Saturday.
Astrobotic has been providing periodic updates on the status of the Peregrine lander since the beginning of its ill-fated journey. The mission began when it launched on a new Vulcan rocket built by the United Launch Alliance on January 8. Shortly after separating from the rocket, the spacecraft experienced an onboard explosion, making it clear that it would not achieve a smooth landing on the Moon due to the significant fuel loss. However, Astrobotic’s team managed to activate the scientific experiments it carried out for NASA and other space agencies, collecting valuable flight data.
“Our latest assessment now shows that the spacecraft is on its way to Earth, where it will likely burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere,” posted the Pittsburgh-based company.
The box-shaped robot has been in space for over five days and is currently 390,000 kilometers from our planet, according to Astrobotic.
Astrobotic joins the ranks of private entities that have faced challenges in achieving a successful lunar landing, following a non-profit Israeli organization and a Japanese company. NASA had invested over $100 million in Astrobotic to transport its cargo under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services experimental program. The overarching goal is to foster a commercial lunar economy and reduce NASA’s overall expenses.
Astrobotic will have another opportunity in November with its Griffin lander, set to carry NASA’s VIPER rover to the lunar south pole.