NASA reported the private lunar lander Peregrine Mission-1 had experienced an unspecified “anomaly” hours after take off.
The lander took off on Monday morning UK time aiming to be the first shuttle to touch down on the lunar surface since the Apollo 17 in 1972.
American company Astrobotic, which was hired by NASA to control the launch, said: “After successfully separating from United Launce Alliance’s Vulcan rocket, Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander began receiving telemetry via the NASA Deep Space Network.
“Astrobotic-built avionics systems, including the primary command and data handling unit, as well as the thermal, propulsion, and power controllers, all powered on and performed as expected.
“After successful propulsion systems activation, Peregrine entered a safe operational state.
“Unfortunately, an anomaly then occurred, which prevented Astrobotic from achieving a stable sun-pointing orientation. The team is responding in real-time as the situation unfolds and will be providing updates as more data is obtained and analysed.”
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