Failed lunar spacecraft appears to have burned up in re-entry, company says

Jan. 18 (UPI) — The lunar lander built by a private American firm most likely has burned up in the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean Thursday, the final step in its now-failed mission to land on the moon’s surface.

Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic posted on X at 8 p.m. EST that it lost contact with Peregrine Mission One around 3:50 p.m., indicating the spacecraft completed controlled re-entry “over open water” in a remote area of the South Pacific.

Operators are still awaiting confirmation of the spacecraft’s demise from independent government entities, the post read.

“The team has been continuously monitoring our re-entry analysis with NASA, which indicates a re-entry path over the indicated area below, with no anticipated hazards. A safe re-entry is our top priority, so the team developed a two-step maneuver to move the spacecraft and change its projected trajectory,” the company said in the update.

Earlier this month, the company announced the mission would not end with a successful lunar landing. Less than two days after the launch, it blamed a “critical loss of propellant” for the failure.

A United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Jan. 8 carrying the spacecraft into orbit.

Had it been successful, the Peregrine would have become the first U.S. spacecraft in more than 50 years to successfully land on the moon’s surface.

Operators conducted a main engine burn, including several short test burns, and adjusted the spacecraft’s attitude to facilitate re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere.

“The procedures the team executed were to minimize the risk of debris reaching land,” the company said in its latest statement.

“Astrobotic continues to work closely with NASA and other relevant government authorities to keep everyone informed and to solicit feedback as appropriate.”

Astrobotic has a news conference scheduled at 1 p.m. Friday to debrief the Peregrine’s recovery.

The spacecraft is carrying 20 payloads for both public and private customers. NASA has five scientific experiments aboard, while Houston-based Celestis and Elysium Space based in San Francisco were both sending human remains as part of their space burial businesses.