Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 05:43am on 14 Jan 2024,Sunday Science
A US private lunar lander, Peregrine, leaking fuel since its January 8 launch, is now on a trajectory towards Earth, likely to burn up in the atmosphere, announces Astrobotic. The ill-fated mission, initially aimed at a soft lunar touchdown, faced an onboard explosion leading to continuous propellant loss. Despite salvaging science experiments, the craft, 242,000 miles from Earth, won't make a Moon landing. The cargo includes a sports drink can, a physical Bitcoin, and human and animal ashes. NASA's $100 million investment under Commercial Lunar Payload Services aims to foster a commercial lunar economy despite this setback.
