The private US Moon mission that started on Monday has faced some technical issues.
The company Astrobotic says their spacecraft Peregrine has had a problem that stopped it from pointing its solar panels towards the Sun.
If we can’t charge the batteries and keep the power running, the mission can’t go on.
Astrobotic is fixing a problem and will let us know when they have more details.
The 12-tonne lander was sent into space from Cape Canaveral, Florida, using a Vulcan rocket.
It wants to be the first American mission in 50 years to land softly on the Moon, and it would be the first time a commercial company has done this.
The US is paying to use a spacecraft to study the moon before sending astronauts there in a few years.
Astrobotic told us about the mission seven hours after it started.
Everything seemed to be going well: Peregrine was communicating and all its systems were powered up and working as they should.
“Unfortunately, something went wrong and Astrobotic couldn’t point towards the Sun like they wanted to. ” The team is working quickly to update people as things happen. They will give more information as they learn and study the data.
It is common for spacecraft to have problems, and the engineers at Astrobotic have practiced many times how to fix different kinds of issues. The spacecraft has been programmed to protect itself during these events. Its main focus will be on keeping power and communication with Earth.
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Peregrine lander: Private US moon expedition encounters difficulties
