Return of the defective Peregrine lunar lander to Earth | Sciences

Peregrine launched on Monday from Cape Canaveral Space Station in Florida. Shortly after separating from the launch vehicle, the spacecraft exploded, leaking fuel. On Friday, it was reported that Peregrine was still on his way to the Moon and could make a “hard landing” there, but that hope is now gone.

The American company stated on the X website: “Our latest assessment now shows that the spacecraft is on its way to Earth, where it will likely burn up in the atmosphere.”

The peregrine falcon is supposed to land on the moon in late February. No commercial lander has ever successfully reached there. Only the United States itself, the former Soviet Union, China and India succeeded in landing safely on the moon.

Astrobotic reports that the mission provided useful data that could aid in subsequent flights to the Moon. The space company wants to contribute to new manned missions to the Moon, and has received tens of millions of dollars in subsidies from NASA for this purpose.

Aside from scientific instruments from NASA, the spaceship carries cargo for Astrobotic's private customers, including a can of sports drinks, physical Bitcoin, as well as human and animal ashes and DNA.