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 American commercial lunar lander in 50 years, will not achieve a soft moon landing due to a critical propulsion system anomaly and a significant propellant leak.
Despite the inability to land, the spacecraft's payloads are operational and communicating, allowing for some data collection as it continues towards lunar orbit.
Both Astrobotic and NASA acknowledge the high-risk nature of these commercial lunar missions, viewing them as crucial learning experiences ("shots on goal") for future lunar exploration and commercial development, including preparations for the Artemis program.

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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.