Moon landing appears doomed
A private U.S. company’s unmanned spacecraft develops a ‘critical’ fuel leak hours after launch.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The first U.S. moon landing attempt in more than 50 years appeared to be doomed after a private company’s spacecraft developed a “critical” fuel leak just hours after Monday’s launch.
Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic Technology managed to orient its lander toward the sun so the solar panel could collect sunlight and charge its battery, as a special team assessed the status of what was termed “a failure in the propulsion system.”
It soon became apparent, however, that there was “a critical loss of fuel,” further dimming hope for what had been a planned moon landing on Feb. 23.
“We are currently assessing what alternative mission profiles may be feasible at this time,” the company said in a statement.
The problem was reported about seven hours after Monday’s predawn liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket provided the lift for Astrobotic’s lander, named Peregrine, putting it on a long, roundabout path to the moon.
A propulsion system problem “threatens the ability of the spacecraft to soft land on the moon,” the company said in a statement. The lander is equipped with engines and thrusters for maneuvering, not only during the cruise to the moon but for lunar descent.
Astrobotic was aiming to be the first private business to successfully land on the moon, something only four countries have accomplished. A second lander from a Houston company is due to launch next month. NASA gave the two companies millions of dollars to build and fly their own lunar landers.
The space agency wants the privately owned landers to scope out the place before astronauts arrive and to deliver NASA tech and science experiments.
Before the flight, NASA’s Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration, noted that while using private companies to make deliveries to the moon would be cheaper and quicker than the usual government route, there would be added risk. He emphasized that NASA was willing to accept that risk, noting Monday: “Each success and setback are opportunities to learn and grow.”
The last time the U.S. launched a moon landing mission was in December 1972, when Apollo 17’s Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt became the 11th and 12th men to walk on the moon.
The space agency’s new Artemis program — named after the goddess of the moon and twin sister of Apollo in Greek mythology — looks to return astronauts to the moon’s surface within the next few years. First will be a lunar fly-around with four astronauts, possibly before the end of the year.
Highlighting Monday’s moonshot was the long-delayed initial test flight of the Vulcan rocket from Cape Canaveral. The 202-foot rocket is essentially an upgraded version of ULA’s hugely successful workhorse Atlas V, which is being phased out along with the company’s Delta IV. Jeff Bezos’ rocket company, Blue Origin, provided the Vulcan’s two main engines.
ULA declared success once the lander was free of the rocket’s upper stage, nearly an hour into the flight and before the spacecraft’s propulsion system malfunctioned and prevented the solar panel from properly pointing toward the sun.