Jan. 18 (UPI) — The lunar lander built by a private American firm is expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean Thursday afternoon, the final step in its now-failed mission to land on the moon’s surface.
Operators will direct the Peregrine spacecraft into a controlled re-entry, which is expected to occur at 4 p.m. EST and culminate with the vehicle’s landing in a remote area of the South Pacific, Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic said in its latest update.
“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.
