The Peregrine saga has come to a tragic end, with the lunar lander re-entering Earth’s atmosphere after failing to land on the Moon. After 10 days of travel through space, Astrobotic has positioned its lunar lander on a trajectory toward Earth to perform a controlled re-entry over a remote area of the South Pacific on Thursday, January 18 around 4:00 pm ET. The lander was launched on January 8 aboard United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket with plans to land on the Moon in late February, but an anomaly caused it to lose propellant and destroyed its chance of a soft landing.
Peregrine carried 24 different payloads from national space agencies and private companies, including the cremated remains and DNA of almost 200 individuals. The spacecraft is still operational, but Astrobotic has made the decision to dispose of Peregrine in a responsible manner instead of contributing to the critical space debris problem. The company has been continually monitoring Peregrine’s re-entry path and is working closely with NASA to ensure a safe re-entry.
Despite the efforts to position the spacecraft on an Earth-bound trajectory, it is expected to burn up in the atmosphere during re-entry. However, there is a possibility that some debris could reach the surface. NASA will host a press conference to discuss the doomed mission, the reentry procedure, and the events leading up to the failed landing.
Peregrine was part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and was intended to help the space agency in its quest to return humans to the Moon and make it a sustainable place for long-term human presence. The mission was also meant to pave the way for new era for private companies by granting them greater access to the lunar surface. Despite the setback, private companies are still racing to land on the Moon.
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