PITTSBURGH, PA (AP) — The Peregrine moon lander, developed by Astrobotic, has lost contact and is presumed to have completed its controlled re-entry over open water in the South Pacific. The Pittsburgh-based company made the announcement on Thursday, stating that they are awaiting confirmation from government entities. Astrobotic plans to provide more details about the mission and fate of Peregrine in a teleconference on Friday.
Peregrine was launched on January 8 as part of United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan Centaur rocket. However, it experienced a serious anomaly shortly after deploying from the rocket’s upper stage. Astrobotic believes that a fuel leak, possibly caused by a stuck valve, led to the rupture of an oxidizer tank. The company will provide a more definitive diagnosis during the upcoming news conference.
Although the leak prevented Peregrine from reaching the moon, the lander remained functional for more than 10 days. It successfully powered on all 10 of its active payloads, including five NASA science instruments, as part of the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. Peregrine also carried 10 other passive payloads, including memorial capsules holding human remains.
The loss of communication with Peregrine marks a setback for Astrobotic’s efforts to land a private spacecraft on the lunar surface. However, another CLPS mission is on the horizon: Intuitive Machines plans to launch its Nova-C lander, atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, towards the moon in the next month.
Further updates about the incident and the future of Astrobotic’s lunar exploration endeavors are expected to be provided during the teleconference on Friday.