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WEKU
WEKU
The Associated Press

Moon landing attempt by U.S. company appears doomed after 'critical' fuel leak

United Launch Alliance launches its next-generation Vulcan rocket on its maiden flight at 2:18 a.m. EST Monday Jan. 8, 2024, from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. (Malcolm Denemark/AP)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The first U.S. moon landing attempt in more than 50 years appeared to be doomed after a private company's spacecraft developed a "critical" fuel leak just hours after Monday's launch.

Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic Technology managed to orient its lander toward the sun so the solar panel could collect sunlight and charge its battery, as a special team assessed the status of what was termed "a failure in the propulsion system."

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