Disappointment as Astrobotic’s Peregrine has “no chance of soft landing on the Moon”

Astrobotic released the first images taken by its Peregrine lunar lander January 8, showing a “disturbance” in its insulation layer that the company believes is evidence of a problem with its propulsion system. Credit: Astrobotic

At first the news was encouraging. Cheers and celebration after United Launch Alliance (ULA) marked the beginning of a new era of space capabilities with the successful launch of its next generation Vulcan rocket on January 8 at 2:18 a.m. EST from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The Vulcan provides industry-leading capabilities to deliver any payload, at any time, to any orbit.

However, a few hours after launching the Peregrine spacecraft suffered a “critical” propellant leak that meant Astrobotic had little hope of becoming the first commercial company to achieve a soft landing on the moon.

Finally the Pittsburgh-based company confirmed that there was now “no chance of a soft landing on the moon.”