SPACE
Private U.S. Moon mission in jeopardy
January 9, 2024 - A robotic lander built by private company Astrobotic is attempting to make the first U.S. lunar soft landing in half a century, following its launch aboard the new Vulcan Centaur rocket.
The launch on Monday was flawless, and the spacecraft, built by Astrobotic Technology of Pittsburgh, separated 50 minutes into the flight; its systems powered on successfully.
However, a few hours later, Astrobotic reported a problem that prevented the spacecraft, known as Peregrine, from keeping itself in a steady orientation pointed at the sun.
The problem could prevent the spacecraft’s solar arrays from generating sufficient power to operate normally. Astrobotic is now looking into alternative mission scenarios.