Astrobotic Reveals Time and Place of Peregrine Spacecraft Reentry
January 20, 2024 By Jozeph P
(Image Credit Google)
Astrobotic's Peregrine lunar lander encountered both excitement and disappointment in its latest mission. Launched with the aspiration of becoming the first U.S. mission to land on the moon since 1972 and the first commercial attempt to achieve this feat, Peregrine met a critical propellant leak shortly after liftoff on January 8. This shocking setback forced the mission team to rethink its lunar landing plans, choosing a controlled reentry to Earth to avoid contributing to space debris.
The Perils of Peregrine:
Despite the starting propellant leak, Astrobotic's mission team successfully maintained Peregrine's flight, making use of the available power to continue data collection from its payloads. Peregrine carried 21 payloads, including contributions from NASA, for different scientific purposes. Nevertheless, the diminishing power and the inapplicability of a lunar landing directed the team to decide on a reentry strategy.
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Reentry Plan and Trajectory:
In a smart move to avoid adding to space remains, Astrobotic decided to guide Peregrine on a trajectory toward Earth for a high-speed reentry, forcing the spacecraft to burn up upon reentering the Earth's atmosphere. The option would have been to leave it in orbit, contributing to the expanding problem of space waste.
The mission team executed a series of short-engine burns to redirect Peregrine toward an isolated area over the Pacific. This location, approximately 850 miles north of New Zealand and 450 miles east of New Caledonia, was meticulously selected to minimize the risk of waste reaching inhabited land. The company expects the reentry to occur at approximately 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 18.
Lessons Learned and Future Endeavors:
Astrobotic accepted the disappointment of the failed lunar landing mission but highlighted the importance of the lessons learned from the Peregrine experience. The company plans to use these understandings in its upcoming lunar mission, which involves the Griffin lander planned for November.
NASA's CLPS Program:
Astrobotic's Peregrine Mission 1 was part of NASA's CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) program, a new initiative contracting commercial firms to perform scientific missions on the moon. These missions cover the way for NASA's Artemis program, desiring for the first crewed lunar landing since the Apollo era, likely in 2026.
While the Peregrine lunar lander did not attain its initial goal of landing on the moon because of a critical propellant leak, Astrobotic's mission team successfully recovered the mission for controlled reentry. This decision mirrors a devotion to responsible space investigation by avoiding the creation of additional space waste. As Astrobotic prepares for its next lunar mission, the experiences acquired from the Peregrine mission will certainly contribute to the success of future lunar endeavours.
By Jozeph P
Journalism explorer, tech Enthusiast. Love to read and write.
