US moon mission suffers setback as Peregrine lander suffers fuel leak, propulsion problems

The NASA-commissioned lunar lander, constructed and run by the US space business Astrobotic Technologies, is off to a shaky beginning on its lunar trip. On January 8, Astrobotic launched its Peregrine Mission One moon lander; however, as soon as it was detached from the rocket, the spacecraft started to malfunction.

The lander was supposed to land on February 23 but is now having problems with propulsion and leaking fuel in orbit. It launched on Monday morning atop United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket from Florida’s Cape Canaveral and separated 50 minutes after launch.

The lander used trans-lunar injection to travel toward the moon after separating from the rocket, but it was unable to properly align itself to face the sun in order to charge its solar panels. Although inquiries into the origin of the issue are still underway, the business believes that an irregularity in its propulsion systems was the root of the issue.