First Commercial Lunar Delivery Mission Ends Before Landing

Despite the failure to land on the moon as planned, NASA said four out of five of its payloads on Peregrine were able to collect data in flight.

Kimberly Johnson

Monday, January 22, 2024 at 11:31 AM ET

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Cameras aboard Peregrine capture the American flag and the NASA insignia on one of the lander’s tanks to signify America’s return to the moon. Although the spacecraft never made it there, it collected valuable data that will inform future missions, NASA said. [Courtesy: NASA]

Key Takeaways:

Peregrine Mission One, the first U.S. commercial lunar lander, failed to reach the moon's surface due to a propulsion anomaly hours after its January 8 launch.
The spacecraft was intentionally steered back to Earth, where it burned up upon reentry over the South Pacific after approximately 10 days, to ensure responsible disposal.
Despite the mission's failure to land, four out of five NASA payloads aboard the lander successfully powered on and collected valuable data in flight, providing insights for future missions.

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Peregrine Mission One—the first U.S. commercial lunar payload services (CLPS) operation headed to the moon to deliver more than 20 payloads, including NASA experiments—is officially over after the spacecraft failed to reach the surface.

United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan rocket launched Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander on January 8 from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Hours into the mission, however, a “propulsion anomaly” was reported that cut the flight short of its original target to make a lunar landing attempt on February 23.