Mission unaccomplished: spacecraft intended to carry Ukrainian flag to the Moon goes back to Earth
The US spacecraft Peregrine, which intended to carry the Ukrainian flag to the Moon, is currently travelling toward Earth and will eventually burn up in the planet's atmosphere.
The mission did not reach its goal, since the device did not reach the Moon.
Now the device is at a distance of more than 376,000 kilometres from Earth, said Astrobotic on Twitter (X).
The company published an update on the state of the Peregrine device on 15 January. The developers say that it does not pose a threat to people and it will be followed till the end of its journey.
"Peregrine will soon return to Earth’s atmosphere and the vehicle is now about 234,000 miles away. We are working with NASA to continue updating and evaluating the controlled re-entry path of Peregrine.
We do not believe Peregrine’s re-entry poses safety risks, and the spacecraft will burn up in Earth’s atmosphere. We are validating this through analyses in collaboration with the U.S. Government. We will continue to operate the spacecraft and provide status updates through the end of the mission," the company said in a statement.
The Peregrine module carried, in particular, the cargo of the Ukrainian-British company Spacebit, which was founded by Ukrainian Pavlo Tanasiuk. The cargo included the flag and map of Ukraine on a metal plate.
Despite the failed launch of the spacecraft, Astrobotic is still optimistic.
"I am so proud of what our team has accomplished with this mission. It is a great honour to witness firsthand the heroic efforts of our mission control team overcoming enormous challenges to recover and operate the spacecraft after Monday’s propulsion anomaly.
I look forward to sharing these, and more remarkable stories, after the mission concludes on January 18. This mission has already taught us so much and has given me great confidence that our next mission to the Moon will achieve a soft landing," said Astrobotic CEO John Thornton.
Peregrine began its journey on 8 January, when it was lifted by the Vulcan launch vehicle from the United Launch Alliance.
However, difficulties began shortly after the launch as the ship suffered a critical loss of fuel. It became clear that the spacecraft would not be able to make a soft landing on the moon.
"Our analysis efforts have been challenging due to the propellant leak, which have been adding uncertainty to predictions of the vehicle's trajectory,"
Our latest assessment now shows the spacecraft is on a path towards Earth, where it will likely burn up in Earth's atmosphere," Astrobotic reported on 13 January.
However, the Astrobotic team was able to continue scientific experiments, as well as collect data from space flight, as reported by Phys.
In addition to scientific equipment, the spacecraft carried cargo for Astrobotic's private customers, such as human and animal ashes.
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