A U.S. business’s stoppedworking moonshot hasactually ended with a intense plunge over the South Pacific
ByMARCIA DUNN AP aerospace author
January 19, 2024, 2: 52 PM
This illustration supplied by Astrobotic Technology in 2024 illustrates the Peregrine lunar lander on the surfacearea of the moon. A fuel leakage quickly after its Monday, Jan. 8, 2024 liftoff avoided any possibility of a moon goal. (Astrobotic Technology bymeansof AP)
The Associated Press
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A U.S. business’s stoppedworking moonshot ended with a intense plunge over the South Pacific, authorities verified Friday.
Astrobotic Technology stated contact and then tracking was lost as its lunar lander reentered Earth’s environment Thursday, 10 days after introducing from Florida. It got verification Friday from U.S. Space Command that the spacecraft broke apart throughout its last minutes, CEO John Thornton stated.
A fuel leakage soon after liftoff had nixed any possibility of a moon goal.
“What a wild experience we were simply on,” Thornton stated. “Certainly not the result we were hoping for and definitely challenging right up front.”
After consulting with NASA and other federalgovernment professionals, Astrobotic took actions to damage its maimed lander in order to safeguard other spacecraft. Flight controllers at the business’s Pittsburgh headoffice briefly fired the engines, getting the lander in the right place for reentry regardlessof little fuel.
Thornton stated an examination board will be assembled to figureout what went incorrect. Engineers suspect a stuck valve in the propellant system triggered a tank to rupture.
“We were coming from the greatest high of the best launch and came down to a mostaffordable low”