Update on Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander
Click for original image.
The company Astrobotic has released several more updates on the status of its Peregrine lunar lander, which will no longer attempt a lunar landing because of a major fuel leak.
The map to the right shows its expected path in the coming days. While sent in a very elongated Earth orbit by ULA’s Vulcan rocket, the spacecraft was unable to do the additional engine burns that would have put it on the correct path to reach the Moon. Instead, it will fall back towards Earth, though its fate beyond that is unclear at this time.
Meanwhile, engineers have succeeded in getting data from all payloads designed to communicate back to Earth.
We have successfully received data from all 9 payloads designed to communicate with the lander. All 10 payloads requiring power have received it, while the remaining 10 payloads aboard the spacecraft are passive. These payloads have now been able to prove operational capability in space and payload teams are analyzing the impact of this development now.
Engineers have also been able to get the spacecraft to send back a number of images. These successes help the company prove out some of the spacecraft’s systems, though it is unable to test the mission’s prime goal, landing on the Moon.
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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.
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Click for original image.
The company Astrobotic has released several more updates on the status of its Peregrine lunar lander, which will no longer attempt a lunar landing because of a major fuel leak.
The map to the right shows its expected path in the coming days. While sent in a very elongated Earth orbit by ULA’s Vulcan rocket, the spacecraft was unable to do the additional engine burns that would have put it on the correct path to reach the Moon. Instead, it will fall back towards Earth, though its fate beyond that is unclear at this time.
Meanwhile, engineers have succeeded in getting data from all payloads designed to communicate back to Earth.
We have successfully received data from all 9 payloads designed to communicate with the lander. All 10 payloads requiring power have received it, while the remaining 10 payloads aboard the spacecraft are passive. These payloads have now been able to prove operational capability in space and payload teams are analyzing the impact of this development now.
Engineers have also been able to get the spacecraft to send back a number of images. These successes help the company prove out some of the spacecraft’s systems, though it is unable to test the mission’s prime goal, landing on the Moon.
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.
No, not a (major) fuel leak, Mr. Zimmerman! The meaning of the term “fuel” is different from the meaning of the terms “propellant” or “oxidizer”. It is currently said to be likely that one of the oxidizer tanks ruptured due to overpressure caused by a defective pressurant valve (helium).
Questioner – I appreciate your dedication to using the appropriate terminology for spacecraft but a lot of time, the public doesn’t understand it. This is a problem I face all the time when talking ‘space’ at schools, conferences, etc. Personally, I wish more people knew about the basics of spaceflight but alas, I am mostly disappointed. But this doesn’t mean we don’t try to bring them in. Once they start asking more questions, then you can get to the details such as the difference between fuel, propellent, and oxidizer. :)
If Peregrine stays in its elongated Earth orbit, without crashing back to Earth, according to the diagram it will loop around the moons orbit on a regular basis. With no power it won’t be able to take and send pictures. Am I right? Is there any telemetry at all? (I also wonder if the payload power supplies need Peregrine to stay charged or are they independent?) So it is space junk in an unusual orbit. It may take radar or a telescope to find out where it is.
A sad situation is it contains the ashes of Gene Roddenberry and at least 100 other people (I’ve heard 60 but from a photo I see 102 identical vials), and a hair from JFK, intended to be left on the moon. The Navajo, and others, considered this plan a desecration, claiming the moon as sacred.
More than enough disappointment to go around for Astrobotics, all other enthusiasts, and the families of the people whose remains are on board, except none for the Navajo.
Joe – In a previous post I mentioned Astrobotics picture window – you said “Go!” Thanks for the endorsement.
I’ll have to think hard about leaving the Republic of Texas to go see it. Thank you.
Questioner and Joe – could you provide us with the definitions of Fuel, Oxidizer and Propellent? I have my definitions, but want to confirm, as I too may misuse these terms.
I think that as with some of the early SpaceX and other Capitalism in Space projects we will, and should expect, failure. It is what they do with the failure and how they learn from it that matters. It sounds like the team is trying to do whatever they can – that’s good.
I wonder if the Astrobotic team could also try some of the lander functions even though they have not landed – deploy the lander into space ?
Chris:
Fuel and oxidizer are both components of a chemical rocket (bi-propellant or bigergol) combination and form together the so-called propellant. That is that mass that is ejected from the rocket engine as a hot gas after combustion in order to produce thrust in the opposite direction. The fuel (for example kerosene, hydrogen, methane, …) is that stuff, which is burned by help of the oxidizer (for example liquid oxygen, N2O4, HNO3, H2O2) onboard in order to set free heat and produce that above described hot gas stream in the rocket engine. Some substances can be used as fuel or as monergol propellant, for example hydrazine (N2H4). Same is true for the oxidizer H2O2, which can be used as monergol propellant that is a substance, which can be composed into hot gas or steam without combustion.
do they have good movies of it as it speeds to the moon?
If so could they tell if it could be captured and boosted to a better orbit? Here’s to hoping,
If not that does it have any cold maneuvering thrusters and if so could those be used to stabilize it?
The main mission is lost but if they could stabilize it they could at least get some good pictures out of it. Or even crash it into the Moon.