Moon Lander to Burn Up Returning to Earth

Looks like the Peregrine moon lander will crash back to earth.

A propellant leak stymied the mission shortly after the moon lander launched on a Vulcan rocket. The lander’s maker, Astrobotic Technology, noted that the lander will not make it to the moon.

Peregrine posted this updated statement on its website:

“Astrobotic’s Mission Control Center has been tracking Peregrine’s trajectory. Our analysis effort has been challenging due to the propellant leak, which has been adding uncertainty to predictions of the vehicle’s trajectory. Our latest assessment now shows the spacecraft is on a path towards Earth, where it will likely burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere. The team is currently assessing options and we will update as soon as we are able.The propellant leak has slowed considerably to the point where it is no longer the team’s top priority. A reminder that a soft landing on the Moon is not possible. We have now been operating in space for 5 days and 8 hours and are about 242,000 miles from Earth..”

Here's the current path of Peregrine:

Image courtesy of Astrobotic Technology

We will update this story as more information appears on the Astrobotic Technology site.

This earlier article covers the background on Astrobotic's Peregrine moon lander.

Description of the anomaly: