First U.S. Moonshot in Decades Will Fall Short

This week’s moon mission won’t be the last in 2024 for NASA…or Astrobotic, the company behind Monday’s launch.

Thursday, January 11, 2024 at 11:31 AM ET

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United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur V rocket, carrying Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander, takes off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Monday morning. [Courtesy: Astrobotic]

Key Takeaways:

Astrobotic's Peregrine Mission One, the first U.S. commercial lunar lander in 50 years under NASA's CLPS program, failed to achieve a soft moon landing due to a critical propulsion system propellant leak.
Despite the landing failure, the spacecraft is still operating in space, communicating with its payloads and sending back data, providing valuable experience and insights for future missions.
NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, which Peregrine was part of, embraces a "shots on goal" strategy, acknowledging the high risks involved in fostering a commercial lunar economy, with multiple future attempts by Astrobotic and other private companies planned.

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The first American spacecraft to attempt a moon landing since Apollo 17 half a century ago will not reach the lunar surface, according to the company that built it.

Peregrine Mission One, an expedition to the moon as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, lifted off Monday morning and appeared to be progressing as planned. But a few hours into the spaceflight, Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic, whose Peregrine lander was destined for the lunar surface, released a series of updates on X (formerly Twitter) that cast doubt on the mission’s aims.