Peregrine Lander: U.S. Moon Mission Comes to an End in Flames over the Pacific Ocean

 A spaceship from the United States that was supposed to land on the Moon ended up in flames over the Pacific last week. The spacecraft, named Peregrine One, faced a propulsion problem that ruined any chances of a successful lunar landing, forcing it to self-destruct. The company in charge, Astrobotic, based in Pittsburgh, directed the spacecraft into Earth's atmosphere to burn up.

A tracking station in Canberra, Australia, confirmed the loss of signal with Peregrine at 20:59 GMT. It was expected that little or nothing of Peregrine would survive intact to reach the ocean surface. Even if some parts did, they were projected to impact far from any populated areas.

Astrobotic's objective was to deliver five NASA instruments to the Moon's surface to study the local environment, preparing for the return of astronauts later in this decade. If successful, Peregrine would have been the first American mission in 50 years to land on the Moon and the first private venture ever to achieve this feat.

However, trouble arose for Astrobotic's mission right after its launch on January 8. Despite the challenges, the team managed to operate Peregrine in space for over 10 days, surpassing initial expectations.

Engineers identified a propulsion issue caused by leaking propellant from a ruptured oxidizer tank. This fault created thrust, turning the craft and hindering it from keeping its solar panels directed at the Sun, crucial for maintaining power. Sian Cleaver, Airbus' Orion European Service Module industrial manager, noted that space exploration is a learning process, emphasizing the mission's engineering success despite its challenges.

The fault was traced to leaking propellant from a ruptured oxidiser tank. This was generating a thrust, turning the craft and preventing it from keeping its solar panels constantly pointed at the Sun - vital to maintain a power supply.

Astrobotic's team worked on Peregrine's thrusters to restore stable pointing, using up more oxidizer in the process. Despite challenges, the onboard payloads were activated, proving their space-worthiness. Some even gathered data on the radiation environment between Earth and the Moon.

One of the NASA instruments, the Peregrine Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer (PITMS), developed in the UK by the Open University and RAL Space, performed well in tests. The technology is expected to fly again on future lunar missions.

Astrobotic is the first of three U.S. companies to send a lander to the Moon in 2024 under a new private-public partnership with NASA. Despite the setback, they plan to try again in the latter half of the year, aiming to land a NASA rover called Viper.

In the broader context, space travel is challenging, and setbacks are part of the learning process. Astrobotic's experience, though not a complete success, provides valuable insights for future missions. This year will see further attempts by other companies, including Intuitive Machines and Firefly, as part of NASA's private-public partnership. The pursuit of lunar exploration continues, with lessons learned from each endeavor.

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