A lunar landing vehicle belonging to an American company is still operating in space, despite the fact that four days have passed since its take-off and it was exposed to a fuel leak that was enough to abort its mission.
Astrobotic, the American start-up company that manufactured the Peregrine lander, hoped to become the first American spacecraft to land on the moon in more than 50 years.
However, the company announced at the beginning of this week that the vehicle would not be able to land on the surface of the moon as planned.
However, Astrobotic teams continue to search for “solutions to extend its lifespan,” according to what the company announced on Friday, explaining that it seeks to benefit from it in collecting as much data as possible in preparation for a future landing attempt.
Astrobotic reported that the defect that occurred shortly after takeoff on Monday may have resulted from a malfunction in one of the valves, which has since caused fuel to leak from one of the tanks.
However, Astrobotic did not give up, but rather continued its efforts, which enabled the vehicle to remain on its course and move away from Earth more than 350,000 kilometers.
The scientific instruments carried by the US Space Agency (NASA) were able to send data. NASA explained that two of them measure radiation during the flight.
NASA's Deputy Director for Scientific Missions, Nikki Fox, stressed in a post on the “X” platform that “sending a ship to the moon is not easy.” She praised Astrobotic's “hard work, perseverance and commitment in the face of the difficulties of its mission.”
It is not yet clear how the lander will end its adventure, but those who follow spaceflight affairs believe that it will likely crash on the surface of the moon.
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