It appears that the Peregrine lunar lander is destined to return to Earth, where its journey began. Since encountering an anomaly shortly after launch and sustaining propellant leaks, the spacecraft is anticipated to burn up upon reentry into Earth’s atmosphere, as detailed in a recent update by Astrobotic. Despite the unexpected longevity after the propellant leak was identified on January 8, the company has ruled out the possibility of a soft landing on the moon’s surface. Astrobotic has been providing continuous updates, and although Peregrine successfully reached lunar distance—reaching 238,000 miles from Earth on Friday and 242,000 on Saturday—its current trajectory remains uncertain due to the moon’s position in its orbit. A press conference with NASA is scheduled for Thursday, January 18, at 12 PM ET to discuss the lander’s fate. the Peregrine lunar lander
If all had gone according to plan, Peregrine would have met up with the moon about 15 days after launch, at which point it could begin the transition from Earth orbit to lunar orbit. It’s only been six days, and Peregrine’s dwindling fuel supply isn’t likely to carry it for nine more. “Our analysis efforts have been challenging due to the propellant leak, which have been adding uncertainty to predictions of the vehicle’s trajectory,” Astrobotic wrote in its most recent update on Saturday. “Our latest assessment now shows the spacecraft is on a path towards Earth, where it will likely burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere.”
It was always a known risk that Peregrine Mission One might end this way; moon landings are notoriously hard. The commercial mission marked the first of those contracted under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, and in a briefing ahead of last week’s launch, NASA’s CLPS Program Manager Chris Culbert said, “We recognize that success cannot be ensured.”