Incorrect operation of the helium supply valve caused the main engines of the Peregrine lunar module to shut down, which led to the early end of its expedition. This was stated on January 19 by Joel Kearns, an employee of the scientific missions department of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
“One of the final steps in preparing engines for operation is opening the valve to supply helium to the fuel and oxidizer. The valve between the helium and the oxidizer did not work correctly and released helium into the oxidizer,” he said during a press conference.
Kerns emphasized that everything happened very quickly: after about a minute, the pressure in the part where the oxidizer is located exceeded the safety margin of the tank. It is believed to have cracked, causing loss of fuel.
At the same time, Kerns noted that, despite the failure of the Peregrine mission, plans to launch the Griffin landing module of the American company Astrobotic to the Moon have not changed. According to him, the launch of the module is scheduled for November. By this time, experts expect to fully understand the problems that led to the failure of the Peregrine mission and take measures to prevent them during the Griffin launch.
Earlier, on January 15, Astrobotic Technology reported that the lunar mission failed due to a fuel leak. Experts tried to solve the problem, but they were unable to do so, although the loss of fuel was said to have slowed down.
On the same day, the Ukrayinska Pravda publication wrote that the American lunar module Peregrine was returning to Earth after a failed mission, with the Ukrainian flag on board.
The Vulcan Centaur rocket carrying Peregrine lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Center in Florida on January 8. Inside it are capsules from the Celestis ritual company, whose list of services includes sending human ashes into space. They contained the hair of three US presidents – George Washington, John Kennedy and Dwight Eisenhower.
It was initially assumed that the device, equipped with five research instruments, would land in the Sinus Viscositatis region of the Moon on February 23.
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