After languishing in space for more than a week, a doomed moon lander met a fiery end Thursday, burning up in Earth’s atmosphere to end its mission. The privately built spacecraft, named Peregrine, was designed to journey to the moon and settle on the lunar surface. But shortly after launching into orbit Jan. 8, the […]
Scientists may finally understand how a unique rock type was created on the moon and came to be distributed across the lunar surface. The revelation could solve a puzzle that has long confused researchers and may help paint a more complete picture of lunar geology. An international team of scientists discovered a critical reaction that […]
The Peregrine spacecraft — which launched last week on the first US mission to aim for a moon landing in over 50 years — is headed back toward Earth and expected to make a fiery reentry after a critical fuel leak dashed its lunar ambitions. The failed moon landing attempt is a setback for NASA’s […]
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A U.S. company’s lunar lander will soon burn up in Earth’s atmosphere after a failed moonshot. Astrobotic Technology said its lander is now headed back toward Earth from the vicinity of the moon. Company officials expect the mission to end Thursday. Astrobotic is working with NASA to track the lander’s […]
In the future, rocketing in making precision landings on the moon’s craggy, rocky and crater-pocked face won’t be as hard. At least that’s the goal of NASA’s Lunar Retroreflector Array (LRA) program, an initiative that is interfacing with U.S. and foreign lunar lander initiatives. LRA consists of a dome-shaped device, topped by small glass prism […]
Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander has made it out to lunar distance, a major milestone for the crippled craft — but a moon landing still doesn’t appear to be in the cards. Peregrine launched Jan. 8 on the first-ever liftoff of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket. The spacecraft aimed to make history, becoming the first private […]
All may not be lost for Astrobotic’s Peregrine moon lander. Soon after launching on the first-ever flight of United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan Centaur rocket on Monday (Jan. 8), the lander encountered an anomaly due to a stuck valve in its propulsion system, damaging the spacecraft and causing a significant propellant leak. The company announced […]
As the Lunar New Year kicks off on Feb. 10, the Disneyland Resort has announced its slate of new food, drinks and merchandise to celebrate the Year of the Dragon. Running from Jan. 23 through Feb. 18, the Lunar New Year Festival at Disney California Adventure will see the return of fan-favorite characters, entertainment, décor, […]
NEW ORLEANS — It was only two days ago when Peregrine, the inaugural private lander contracted under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, brilliantly blasted toward space aboard the first private flight of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket. Mere hours into the journey, Peregrine started to fail. Astrobotic, the company behind the spacecraft, continues to […]
FILE – In this photoreleased by Xinhua News Agency, the Chang’e 4 lunar probe launches from the the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern China’s Sichuan province, on Dec. 8, 2018. China’s space agency said Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024 that its latest lunar explorer had arrived at the launch site in preparation for a mission […]
The moon dreams of Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander are officially dead. Peregrine launched early Monday morning (Jan. 8) on the debut mission of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket. The liftoff went well, but Peregrine experienced an anomaly shortly after deploying from the rocket’s Centaur upper stage. The robotic lander couldn’t orient itself properly to charge […]
A privately built spacecraft that launched Monday on a mission to land on the moon will not reach the lunar surface after it suffered a critical malfunction hours after liftoff. Astrobotic Technology, the Pittsburgh-based firm that developed the Peregrine lander, said Tuesday that the spacecraft is leaking propellant, making it impossible to complete its lunar […]