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A private lunar spacecraft which launched from the US this morning is thought to have suffered a “propulsion anomaly” which could mean it’s unable to “soft land” on the moon.
Peregrine Mission 1 – which took off in Florida on a new Vulcan rocket at 7.18am UK time – has also “entered a period of communication loss” and its battery is “reaching operationally low levels”.
It aimed to become the first US spacecraft due to land on the moon’s surface since Apollo 17 in 1972 and appeared to lift off into space as planned.
American company Astrobotic, in control of the launch, said in a post on X that Peregrine “successfully” separated from the rocket but an “anomaly” has since occurred which prevents it from “achieving a stable sun-pointing orientation”.
That suggests its solar panels won’t be harvesting anywhere near enough solar energy and if the company can’t quickly stabilise the robotic lander it will lose power, said Sky News science correspondent Thomas Moore.
In a later social media post, Astrobotic said it believed the “likely cause of the unstable sun-pointing” was a “propulsion anomaly that, if proven true, threatens the ability of the spacecraft to soft land on the moon”.
Follow as it happened: Updates as Peregrine Mission-1 blasted off
The craft’s battery is reaching operationally low levels and just before a “communication outage”, the Astrobotic team carried out an “improvised manoeuvre to reorient the solar panels towards the sun”.
Soon after, the craft suffered an “expected period of communication loss”.
A landing on the moon was scheduled for 23 February.
NASA has paid Astrobotic, a space logistics start-up, just $108m (£85m) for five scientific instruments to be carried to the moon, a fraction of the cost of launching its own mission.
The lander, which is the size of a garden shed, was also carrying the remains of several Star Trek cast members and the DNA of former US presidents including John F Kennedy.
Astrobotic chief executive John Thornton has previously said the craft will spend 12 days in transit between the Earth and lunar orbit but the bulk of the time will be waiting, circling the moon, for the “local lighting conditions” of the team’s landing site to be correct.
In its first update on the issue on X, Astrobotic said on Monday that after successfully separating from United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket, the Peregrine lander began receiving telemetry via NASA.
“After successful propulsion systems activation, Peregrine entered a safe operational state,” it went on.
“Unfortunately, an anomaly then occurred, which prevented Astrobotic from achieving a stable sun-pointing orientation.”
Read more from Sky News:
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Part of the reason for the renewal of interest in lunar missions is the discovery of water on the moon, which could hydrate astronauts and be the source of oxygen and fuel – saving future trips from having to store their own supplies.
It’s hoped the moon could provide a staging post for missions to Mars or even beyond.
Controversy over human remains
The Peregrine mission has attracted controversy because of some of its commercial payloads.
Among the remains on board are those of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenbury – along with his wife and son – as well as icons from the show Nichelle Nichols, James Doohan and DeForest Kelley, who played Nyota Uhura, Montgomery Scott and Dr Leonard McCoy.
The DNA of former US presidents George Washington, Dwight Eisenhower and John F Kennedy are also being transported.
The launch happened on Monday morning
The Navajo Nation of Native Americans had written to NASA demanding the launch should be delayed because there will be capsules on board containing human remains.
The nation’s president, Buu Nygren, said sending cremated remains to the moon “is tantamount to the desecration of this sacred space”.
Eyebrows have also been raised over other commercial payloads.
The delivery company DHL is launching its MoonBox programme, taking mementoes such as photos, novels and even a sample of Mount Everest to the lunar surface.
Astrobotic has shrugged off criticism of the mission’s commercial cargo.
“To be leading America back to the surface of the moon is a momentous honour,” said Mr Thornton.
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