Peregrine only has hours left, its fuel leaking away
According to a number of recent updates by Astrobotic, its Peregrine lunar lander only only a few more hours of life left, its fuel leaking away due to the failure of a valve to close inside its oxygen tank.
Astrobotic’s current hypothesis about the Peregrine spacecraft’s propulsion anomaly is that a valve between the helium pressurant and the oxidizer failed to reseal after actuation during initialization. This led to a rush of high pressure helium that spiked the pressure in the oxidizer tank beyond its operating limit and subsequently ruptured the tank.
The company also noted that the Vulcan rocket did no harm to the spacecraft during launch, placing it in the correct orbit. The tank rupture however means it will not land on the Moon, and in fact is likely not going to escape Earth orbit. Sometime in the next day or so the spacecraft will run out of fuel, and at that point it will be fly out of control, its batteries draining because the solar panels will no longer point to the Sun.
How this failure will impact Astrobotic’s next and larger lander, Griffin, remains unknown. It is presently scheduled to land on the Moon in November 2024.
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According to a number of recent updates by Astrobotic, its Peregrine lunar lander only only a few more hours of life left, its fuel leaking away due to the failure of a valve to close inside its oxygen tank.
Astrobotic’s current hypothesis about the Peregrine spacecraft’s propulsion anomaly is that a valve between the helium pressurant and the oxidizer failed to reseal after actuation during initialization. This led to a rush of high pressure helium that spiked the pressure in the oxidizer tank beyond its operating limit and subsequently ruptured the tank.
The company also noted that the Vulcan rocket did no harm to the spacecraft during launch, placing it in the correct orbit. The tank rupture however means it will not land on the Moon, and in fact is likely not going to escape Earth orbit. Sometime in the next day or so the spacecraft will run out of fuel, and at that point it will be fly out of control, its batteries draining because the solar panels will no longer point to the Sun.
How this failure will impact Astrobotic’s next and larger lander, Griffin, remains unknown. It is presently scheduled to land on the Moon in November 2024.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
Is it a general practice to build twin space craft in the event of a failure?
And is there another one waiting in the wings?
Cotour: This has been done sometimes in the past, but for private companies the extra cost is too much. Griffin is not a duplicate of Peregrine, but a larger more complex lander.
Makes sense, government has unlimited capital and private companies must exist in the real world.
Astrobotic has been extremely transparent about the flight issues, which helps build and maintain trust. I know imagine they have some parts for a second lander but not sure if they have a complete engineering model, per se, that could be utilized. At Quub we build duplicates, but our systems are inexpensive enough to be able to afford that addition.
I am confident they will work out the issues and launch again.
Speaking of transparency:
During the pre-launch ULA livestream of the Vulcan launch, there was a piece by Astrobotics about Peregrine and Astrobotics plans. They showed that their manufacturing building is on Lincoln Ave in Pittsburg and shares the building with the Moonshot Museum. Visitors to the museum can look through a large picture window into the clean room and see the landers being built.
Made me want to go to Pittsburgh.
Doubting Thomas – Go! The facility is just down the road from the Steeler’s stadium. It is well worth the trip. I was there assisting with a component on the lander and the facility was amazing. A great example of what a space company should look like.
Joe–
What are the top 2-3 costs you have to deal with??
Wayne – The top costs for our work are:
1 – Launch Services: Unless you are buying in bulk, this is still pretty expensive. In some cases almost $50/Kg.
2 – Regulatory filing: FCC, NOAA, FAA, etc. You need specialists to even try to get through all the paperwork.
3 – Insurance: Pre-Launch, Launch, Operations, Collision have to be considered based on the mission.
4 – Legal: At one point I had more lawyers than employees.
I know that is more than three but these are the pain points for a startup.
Mr. Zimmerman:
The Peregrine lander does you not use oxygen as oxidizer as you propose. The lander carries 450 kg (990 lb) of bi-propellant mass in four tanks; its composition is MON-25 /MMH, a hypergolic bi-propellant. For attitude control (orientation), the spacecraft uses twelve thrusters (45 N each) also powered by MON-25/MMH. MON-25 is the oxidizer, MMH (a kind of hydrazine) is the fuel. For clarification: Oxidizer and fuel combined are the propellant.
As it seems, the S/C does not loss fuel as you say, but oxidizer (MON-25, a mixture of N2O4 and NO).
I ask for corrections.
Questioner: My post needs no correction. I was quoting the company’s own press release, which clearly suggests the problem started in the inner helium tank inside a tank filled with “oxidizer.” Thus, an oxygen tank, or some variation.
Mr. Zimmerman: I’m sorry, but you didn’t understand what I said above. I’ll summarize it again:
A: There is no oxygen tank in the lander.
B: There is no fuel leak. Instead, oxidizer comes out (note: this is the substance needed to burn the fuel.)
Starliner had some sticky valves. Another spacecraft recently had one or more valves that reacted slower than expected, although I do not recall which one that was. I’m not sure what is happening, these past few years, that is causing valves to be sticky or slow. I do not remember these problems in past years. Why now? Why all of a sudden?
_________________
Joe,
Thank you for the expense report. I was not expecting the legal costs to be so high. When I am asked what it costs for a geostationary commercial communication satellite, my answer is $100 million for the satellite, $100 million for the launch, and $50 million for the insurance. The true numbers depend upon the specific satellite, of course, but the order of magnitude has been correct for decades.
Edward asked in connection with the recent cases of valve problems on spacecraft, “I do not remember these problems in past years. Why now? Why all of a sudden?”
The answer is obvious and I am surprised it did not occur to you. Global warming!
What was I thinking? Of course it is global warming! It explains so much.
We only have six years left, according to … I don’t remember which of them said it, back in 2018.