The commercial US spacecraft has experienced technical problems, developing a fuel leak that will allow it to operate in space but not touch down on the moon.Representatives from the private space company Astrobotic Technology on Tuesday announced that the Peregrine commercial lunar lander will not complete its mission as planned, saying there is "no chance" of the vessel landing softly on the moon as intended.

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Astrobotics reported that the vessel had developed a fuel leak after it was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida on Monday, leaving it with roughly 40 hours worth of propellant by Tuesday.

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Scientists on Tuesday sought to determine what the vessel's mission would now be, saying it could still be operated "as a spacecraft."

Launched with the new Vulcan rocket — developed by Boeing and Lockheed Martin under the joint venture United Launch Alliance (ULA) — the Peregrine experienced a "propulsion system issue" on its way to the moon.

That meant that it was also unable to correctly position itself to charge its batteries as its solar panels were not facing the sun, an issue that engineers were able to resolve.

"The team continues to work to find ways to extend Peregrine's operational life," said Astrobotics.

Despite the fact that the vessel would not complete its mission as planned, Astrobotics said engineers continued to receive important data that will allow it to test component and software operability for future missions.

This is a devloping story, more to come...

js/rt (AFP, Reuters)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 10, 2024 12:10 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).