The first US moon landing in 50 years is now at risk due to a critical fuel leak, jeopardizing the planned mission and underscoring the challenges of private lunar exploration.
Private firm Astrobotic Technology, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, estimated that its engine, the Peregrine lander, would start losing power in about 40 hours, compromising its mission of landing on the Moon’s northern hemisphere in late February.
Astrobotic Technology had managed to orient its vessel towards the sun so the solar panel could collect sunlight and charge its battery while a team assessed the status of what was termed “a failure in the propulsion system.”
