What Exactly Went Wrong With Astrobotic Lunar Lander?
What Exactly Went Wrong With Astrobotic Lunar Lander?
Astrobotic, a Pittsburgh-based company, made history by launching the first lander under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services contract. The lander successfully separated from the upper Centaur stage and began its journey towards the moon. However, a setback occurred when an anomaly prevented the lander from maintaining a stable sun-pointing orientation. The team is working to address the issue in real time and will provide updates as they analyze data. Unfortunately, without a reliable power source, the lander's mission to land on the near side of the moon on Feb. 23 is now uncertain. The team suspects a propulsion anomaly as the cause and is troubleshooting the issue while the spacecraft's battery rapidly depletes.
Just moments before 1 p.m., the company announced a remarkable feat - they had executed an impromptu maneuver to realign the solar panels of Peregrine towards the radiant sun. This news brought a glimmer of hope as communication was restored. However, this optimism was short-lived as a more somber message followed.
The company shared their success in adjusting Peregrine's solar array, stating, "The team's ingenuity paid off, and now we are replenishing the battery with solar energy." While the Mission Anomaly Board diligently analyzed the incoming data, they also investigated the root cause of the anomaly - a malfunction in the propulsion system.
Regrettably, approximately 15 minutes later, the company delivered a disheartening update. "Unfortunately, the propulsion system failure has resulted in a critical loss of propellant. Our team is tirelessly working to stabilize this situation, but given the circumstances, our priority is to maximize the scientific discoveries and data we can gather. We are currently exploring alternative mission profiles that may be viable under these circumstances."
If the spacecraft's solar power positioning cannot be maintained and it fails to execute necessary propulsion maneuvers, it risks missing the moon.
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