A Private US Moon Mission (Peregrine Spacecraft) fails

Astrobotic company (a privatewhich embarked on a private Moon mission announced that its launch of Peregrine Spacecraft experienced technical problems. The robotic spacecraft which was launched from Florida, USA, today was intended to land on the Moon.

After the lift-off, everything was going well according to Astrobotic, but thereafter, an anomaly prevented the spacecraft from achieving a stable Sun-pointing orientation. Proper Sun orientation is essential to maintain adequate power supply during the mission.

The company’s aim was to become the first US mission to land on the Moon since 1972. The lander had paid research instruments (including those of NASA, and other countries) to carry out scientific research on the moon. Many believe that the launch attempt, though unsuccessful is an important first step needed for another successful moon mission.

The spacecraft was expected to land in an area on the Moon called Sinus Viscositatis to study the moon with the numerous scientific instruments from NASA, instruments from Mexico, and a radiation detector from Germany.

The company said its engineers are working to understand and resolve the technical issues and will provide more updates later.