image Source, reuters
The Vulcan rocket took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and sent the Peregrine spacecraft toward the Moon.
- Author, jonathan amos
- Role, bbc science correspondent
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The United States space module mission that took off this Monday from Cape Canaveral (Florida) with the aim of achieving a controlled landing on the surface of the Moon is in danger.
The robotic lunar module, named Peregrine, which aims to become the first US spacecraft to complete a “soft” landing on the Moon in 51 years and is Previously operated by a private company, it faced serious technical problems after take off.
The astrobotic company hired by NASA to land Peregrine on the Moon announced in a statement hours after launch that a propulsion failure caused the ship “to encounter an anomaly that caused it to point its solar panels toward the Sun.” Stably prevented from pointing”. System.
The Pittsburgh-based company said in a later note that the faulty propulsion system was leaking “significant” amounts of fuel.
The problem could ruin the planned landing and now Astrobotic is talking about changing its mission objectives. In other words, you’re thinking about what you can save from your original goals.
image Source, astrobotic
The Peregrine module, which weighs 1.2 tonnes, is part of a group of projects the US aims to land on the Moon in 2024.
onset of problems
Peregrine’s problems arose shortly after launch from the Vulcan rocket, establishing communications with ground controllers.
Engineers noticed that the spacecraft Struggled to maintain a stable connection with the SunWhich meant that its solar cells did not receive a constant supply of sunlight to recharge the onboard batteries.
It was reported that power was reaching operationally low levels.
Astrobotic engineers eventually identified the root cause of the problem as a failure in the propulsion system.
And although they were able to successfully reorient the spacecraft and charge the batteries, the company said, it was clear Peregrine was losing fuel,
“The team is working to try to stabilize this loss, but given the situation, we have prioritized maximizing the science and data we can capture,” it said in a statement.
“We are currently evaluating what alternative mission profiles may be possible at this time.”
Five scientific instruments aboard the spacecraft are supposed to study the moon’s surface environment in anticipation of manned missions planned for this decade.
Peregrine is part of a wave of spacecraft that will attempt to land on the moon’s surface in 2024, possibly as soon as Eight different projects, including projects in Japan and China,
image Source, pot
The United States has not conducted a controlled landing on the Moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
Astrobotic’s mission launched on a new Vulcan rocket, which lifted off from its pad in Florida at 02:18 local time (07:18 GMT). Fifty minutes later, after a perfect flight, the ship separated and headed in the direction of the Moon.
It was to take a few weeks before he was in condition to attempt a lunar landing.
However, with problems revealed in recent hours, the mission appears to be compromised.
The landing was planned for February 23. On the near side of the Moon lies a smooth lava valley known as Sinus Viscositatis or “Sticky Bay”, a reference to the type of volcanic material that can be deposited in the surrounding hills.
Since the Apollo program’s last mission in 1972, the United States had not attempted a controlled landing on the surface of the Moon.However in the interim it sent several probes which for one reason or another deliberately crashed.
Private companies with NASA as “customers”
NASA has put operations from the lunar surface back on its agenda as it looks to restart its missions with astronauts soon Normally scientists will use their commercial partners to send instruments, equipment and suppliesAccording to the agency, this measure will reduce costs in the long term.
Astrobotic is the first of three US companies to send a lander under this new agreement. The other two companies, Intuitive Machines and Firefly, will do so in the coming months.
The “customer” of all three companies is NASA, but the space agency is “not in charge” of their missions. The companies have designed the spacecraft themselves and will be in charge of mission control.
image Source, pot
Peregrine’s goal was to land on the flat volcanic terrain south of the Moon’s Gruythusen Hills.
Mexican robot on board
NASA’s cargo on Peregrine was to focus on making Preparation for later human presence on the lunar surface,
The Peregrine Ion Mass Spectrometer (PITMS), for example, will try to better understand how water moves on the Moon. Water is considered a vital resource for future astronauts, whether for drinking or as a basis for rocket fuel production.
The main PITMS sensor was built by the Open University (OU) and the space research and development center RAL-Space in the United Kingdom.
OU’s Dr. Simeon Barber led the development. “Water is essential for astronauts to drink and clean. “This is a really important molecule to open up new ways for the future of space exploration,” he told BBC News.
Since NASA is only listed as a customer on the mission, Astrobotic is free to sell cargo space to others, The most significant additional items on board include several small rovers. A group of small two-wheeled robots from Mexico,
There are also cultural objects such as photographs, paintings, plaques and audio recordings on board. But, controversially, there is also a package of cremated human remains. Two companies have small “commemorative” capsules at Peregrine. A It contains the DNA of famous British science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke,
A group of scientists led by Dr. Simeon Barber of the Open University developed the sensor inside a NASA instrument.
This fact has infuriated the Navajo Nation, one of the native inhabitants of North America, who consider the Moon a sacred place. They have urged NASA to stop the mission because they consider it an act of sacrilege.
The first of the 2024 lunar landing attempts will be led by the Japan Space Agency (JAXA) and is expected to take place on January 15.
JAXA’s Lunar Intelligent Research Lander Module (SLIM) will target a location near the Shioli Crater, located in its vicinity slightly south of the moon’s equator.
China will continue its recent exploration work on the Moon by sending a mission to the dark side of the Moon to bring rocks back to Earth for study. This should happen in the middle of the year.
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