Astrobotic's first lunar lander under NASA's CLPS program. First launch of ULA Vulcan Centaur rocket.
Peregrine Mission One was the inaugural mission of Astrobotic's Peregrine lunar lander, launching on January 8, 2024, from Cape Canaveral on the first flight of United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur rocket. The mission carried 20 payloads from 7 countries, including 5 NASA instruments under the CLPS program.
Hours after separation from the Vulcan Centaur upper stage, Peregrine experienced a critical propellant leak caused by a malfunctioning oxidizer pressure control valve. The valve stuck in an open position, allowing helium pressurant to rupture the oxidizer tank. The resulting loss of propellant made a lunar landing impossible.
Astrobotic managed to orient the spacecraft toward the Sun to maintain power and collected valuable data from several payloads during the following 10 days, but the mission could not be saved. On January 18, Peregrine was directed to re-enter Earth's atmosphere over the South Pacific, burning up safely.
Deliver 20 payloads from 7 countries to the lunar surface at Sinus Viscositatis under NASA's CLPS program.
Transport and operate 5 NASA instruments including NSS (neutron spectrometer), NIRVSS (near-infrared spectrometer), LETS (radiation detector), LRA (laser retroreflector), and PITMS (ion trap mass spectrometer).
Serve as the inaugural payload for ULA's next-generation Vulcan Centaur rocket, contributing to its certification for national security launches.
Demonstrate Astrobotic's commercial business model for lunar delivery, carrying payloads for DHL, Astrolab, Carnegie Mellon, and others.
The mission ended in failure when a malfunctioning oxidizer pressure control valve caused a critical propellant leak approximately 7 hours after launch. The valve stuck open, allowing helium pressurant to rupture the oxidizer tank and vent propellant into space. With insufficient propellant for lunar orbit insertion and landing, the mission was unrecoverable.
Astrobotic maximized the science return by operating several payloads during the 10-day drift period and collecting engineering data on the failure. Peregrine was commanded to re-enter Earth's atmosphere over the South Pacific on January 18 to avoid creating orbital debris. Despite the failure, the Vulcan Centaur rocket performed nominally on its maiden flight.
Hours after launch on the inaugural ULA Vulcan Centaur rocket, Peregrine suffered a propellant leak caused by a malfunctioning pressure control valve. The spacecraft was commanded to burn up in Earth's atmosphere on January 18.
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