"Peregrine Lander: American Moon Mission Meets its End Over the Pacific Ocean"

 A US spacecraft that embarked on a mission to land on the Moon last week met a fiery end over the Pacific after encountering a propulsion fault. Peregrine One, operated by the private company Astrobotic based in Pittsburgh, was directed to destroy itself when it became clear that a lunar landing was no longer possible due to the technical issue.

The mission aimed to deliver five NASA instruments to the Moon's surface to study the local environment in preparation for the return of astronauts later in the decade. Unfortunately, the craft's attempt to touch down on the Moon would have marked the first American lunar landing in 50 years and the first-ever successful private venture to achieve this feat.

Despite the setback, Astrobotic managed to keep Peregrine operational in space for over 10 days, surpassing expectations. The spacecraft's mission encountered challenges shortly after launch on January 8, with engineers diagnosing a propulsion issue caused by leaking propellant from a ruptured oxidizer tank. This leak disrupted the craft's orientation, preventing its solar panels from consistently facing the Sun, crucial for maintaining power.

Sian Cleaver, Airbus' Orion European Service Module industrial manager, emphasized the engineering success in extending Peregrine's operational life under challenging circumstances. The fault was attributed to the ruptured oxidizer tank, which generated thrust, hampering the craft's solar panel alignment.

Astrobotic shared a video on social media capturing Peregrine's view of Earth before it burned up in the atmosphere. Although the mission faced difficulties, some payloads were activated and successfully gathered data on the radiation environment between Earth and the Moon.

Among the NASA instruments on board, the Peregrine Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer (PITMS), developed with contributions from the UK's Open University and RAL Space, performed well in check-out tests. The technology is expected to have future opportunities for deployment on lunar missions.

Astrobotic, part of a new private-public partnership with NASA, is the first of three US companies planning Moon lander missions this year. Despite this setback, the company is set for a second attempt later in the year when it aims to land the NASA rover Viper. Intuitive Machines and Firefly, the other two companies in the partnership, also plan lunar surface missions in 2024.

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