{"id":17233,"date":"2024-01-08T21:40:56","date_gmt":"2024-01-08T13:40:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/astrobotics-moon-lander-suffers-failure-in-propulsion-system-putting-mission-at-risk\/"},"modified":"2024-01-08T21:40:56","modified_gmt":"2024-01-08T13:40:56","slug":"astrobotics-moon-lander-suffers-failure-in-propulsion-system-putting-mission-at-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/astrobotics-moon-lander-suffers-failure-in-propulsion-system-putting-mission-at-risk\/","title":{"rendered":"Astrobotic\u2019s moon lander suffers failure in propulsion system, putting mission at risk"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full-width\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"630\" height=\"376\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/peregrine3-630x376.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-805958\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/peregrine3-630x376.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/peregrine3-1260x753.jpg 1260w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/peregrine3-768x459.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/peregrine3.jpg 1495w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"wp-element-caption\">An artist\u2019s conception shows Astrobotic\u2019s Peregrine lander with Earth in the background. (Astrobotic via YouTube)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Hours after the launch of its commercial moon lander, Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic reported a failure within the robotic spacecraft\u2019s propulsion system that could rule out a soft landing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnfortunately, it appears the failure within the propulsion system is causing a critical loss of propellant,\u201d Astrobotic said today in a mission update.posted to X \/ Twitter. \u201cThe team is working to try and stabilize this loss, but given the situation, we have prioritized maximizing the science and data we can capture. We are currently assessing what alternative mission profiles may be feasible at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another X \/ Twitter posting featured the first in-space image captured by a camera mounted atop Peregrine\u2019s payload deck. The image showed irregularities in the spacecraft\u2019s protective multi-layer insulation, or MLI. \u201cThe disturbance of the MLI is the first visual clue that aligns with our telemetry data that points to a propulsion system anomaly,\u201d Astrobotic said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=b0yle&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1744469638640005538&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geekwire.com%2F2024%2Fastrobotic-moon-lander-propulsion%2F&amp;sessionId=c5a18b7d0cad1715c952ab80edf4ec65d6e0265a&amp;siteScreenName=geekwire&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"1744469638640005538\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782799295109526027=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Update #5 for Peregrine Mission One: pic.twitter.com\/94wy2J0GyA<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Astrobotic (@astrobotic) January 8, 2024<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/figure>\n<p>In an earlier update, Astrobotic said the propulsion problem could threaten the \u201cability to soft land on the moon.\u201d NASA is paying Astrobotic $108 million to have its Peregrine spacecraft carry a suite of science instruments to the lunar surface, and more than a dozen other payloads are going along for the ride.<\/p>\n<p>The setback followed a seemingly picture-perfect launch of the 8-foot-wide lander from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida overnight. It was the first liftoff for United Launch Alliance\u2019s Vulcan Centaur rocket \u2014 and the first launch for Blue Origin\u2019s BE-4 rocket engines, which Jeff Bezos\u2019 space venture provided for the first-stage booster.<\/p>\n<p>ULA CEO Tory Bruno offered his company\u2019s assistance with the post-launch anomaly. \u201cOur team is at your disposal, if we can help in any way,\u201d he wrote in a reply to Astrobotic\u2019s posting.<\/p>\n<p>The issue with the lander first came to light when Astrobotic\u2019s mission team determined that the spacecraft\u2019s solar panels were not pointing toward the sun, resulting in a drain on Peregrine\u2019s battery. The team came up with an improvised maneuver to reorient the solar panels \u2014 and the battery was recharged. But in the process of investigating the anomaly, they traced the underlying cause to the propulsion system.<\/p>\n<p>In one of its updates, Astrobotic said it was grateful for the support it was receiving via social media, phone calls and other channels. \u201cThis is what makes the space industry so special,\u201d the company said, \u201cthat we unite in the face of adversity.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An artist\u2019s conception shows Astrobotic\u2019s Peregrine lander with Earth in the background. (Astrobotic via YouTube) Hours after the launch of its commercial moon lander, Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic reported a failure within the robotic spacecraft\u2019s propulsion system that could rule out a soft landing. \u201cUnfortunately, it appears the failure within the propulsion system is causing a critical [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[697,2043,625],"class_list":["post-17233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-astrobotic","tag-lunar-lander","tag-moon"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17233"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17233"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17233\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}