A privately owned US lunar lander may have burned to ashes.

The Peregrine spacecraft most likely fell back into the atmosphere and burned up over the South Pacific after its failed lunar landing mission.

The image, taken by the Peregrine lunar lander, shows Earth as a crescent shape illuminated by the sun. Photo: Astronomical

The Peregrine spacecraft, a product of the private American company Astrobotic, launched towards the Moon on January 8th aboard a Vulcan Centaur rocket, but suffered a serious malfunction after separating from the booster rocket. The incident resulted in fuel loss, leaving the spacecraft with no chance of a successful landing on the Moon.

In its latest update, Astrobotic announced on social media platform X that it lost contact with Peregrine at approximately 4:00 AM on January 19th ( Hanoi time), indicating the spacecraft's controlled re-entry into the atmosphere over an open area of ​​the South Pacific, as predicted. However, Astrobotic also stated that it would await further independent confirmation of Peregrine's fate from relevant government agencies.

Previously, engineers had performed several small engine firings to adjust Peregrine's orientation over the ocean, minimizing the risk of debris falling onto land. Astrobotic also posted a photo taken by the spacecraft on its final day, when it was positioned between Earth and the Sun. In the photo, Earth appears as a crescent shape.

Peregrine spent more than 10 days in space. The mission continues to attract attention even as Astrobotic failed to become the first private company to successfully land on the Moon. Peregrine also failed to become the first American spacecraft to successfully land on the Moon since the Apollo program ended more than 50 years ago.

The Moon Sniper, or SLIM, spacecraft of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), launched into space in September 2023, will be the next to attempt a gentle landing on the Moon. The expected landing time is around 10 PM on January 19th (Hanoi time). If successful, Japan would become the fifth country to achieve this feat, after the Soviet Union, the United States, China, and India.

Thu Thao (According to AFP )

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