The Peregrine lander has a problem. The American mission may fail

A technical glitch threatens the mission The peregrine falcon – BBC reports. On board a special spacecraft that launched on Monday “Anomalies” appeared.. Astrobotic said the problems began during post-launch checks, after contacting Peregrine was made and all its systems were up and running.

The ship had difficulty maintaining a stable position, which prevented the solar panels from receiving a steady supply of sunlight to generate electricity. Without power, Peregrine's mission may fail.

“The team believes that the most likely cause of the Sun's orientation instability is a propulsion anomaly, which, if true, It threatens the spacecraft's ability to make a soft landing on the moon's surface” – the company said in a statement. Astrobotic said that engineers are working to fix the defect. The statement noted that “the spacecraft battery has reached a low operational level.”

The 1.2-ton lander was launched Monday from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Vulcan brandy. This is the first American mission in more than half a century to land on the moon and the first private project of this kind.

“It is not unusual for a spacecraft to experience a technical malfunction, and Astrobotic engineers have repeatedly trained how to respond to different scenarios. The spacecraft itself has also been programmed to protect itself during such events, prioritizing power and communications with Earth,” B wrote. BC. .

Astrobotic It is the first of three American companies that will send their devices to the moon this year as part of a new partnership project with NASA. The American agency is cooperating with a company from Pittsburgh and two other private companies – Intuitive machines I firefly. The BBC reported that “the trio plans to launch six missions to the moon in 2024.”

NASA – As he points out – He is merely an “agent” and “not responsible” for the tasks. According to the agency, such an arrangement would introduce more innovations and reduce costs over time. She also says that she is prepared to fail some tasks.

– What we have learned from our trading partners is that if we have less impact, we can relax some of the requirements that make it expensive and we have a greater appetite for risk. If they fail, others will learn and succeed, said Pam Milroy, the agency's deputy director.