Astrobotic Loses Contact with Lunar Lander Peregrine

Astrobotic Technology reported on Friday (January 19) that it lost communication with its Peregrine lunar lander the previous afternoon. The company posted on social media, “As expected, Astrobotic lost telemetry with the Peregrine lander at around 3.50 pm EST. While this indicates the vehicle completed its controlled re-entry over open water in the South Pacific at 4.04 pm EST, we await independent confirmation from government entities.”

Astrobotic also announced plans to hold a press conference later on Friday to provide updates on the post-flight status. In another social media post, the company shared footage captured by the Peregrine of Earth following its successful separation from United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan rocket. The video included various onboard items such as the DHL MoonBox, Astroscale’s Pocari Sweat Lunar Dream Time Capsule, and a Peregrine landing leg, with Earth visible in the background.

Unfortunately, the Peregrine lander, which was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on January 8, experienced a propulsion system malfunction on its way to the Moon. Astrobotic revealed the day after launch that the Peregrine would not achieve a soft landing on the lunar surface due to a propellant leak early in its space journey.

On Friday, the lander was observed activating its thrusters for re-entry above Australia. It was carrying seven NASA instruments intended to study the lunar surface.

In the broader context of the space race to the Moon, the United States, through NASA’s Artemis mission, aims to return astronauts to the Moon by late 2026. Meanwhile, China has set a goal to achieve this by 2030. Prior to sending humans, both nations plan to deploy several smaller robotic missions to explore the lunar surface, as reported by Reuters.

NASA Chief Bill Nelson commented last week on China’s ambitious lunar mission plans, suggesting that China might be aiming to land on the Moon before the U.S. for a public relations victory. However, Nelson expressed doubt about China achieving this goal before the U.S. mission.