WASHINGTON, Jan 9, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - A historic private mission to land on the Moon faced near-certain failure Monday after the spacecraft suffered a "critical loss" of fuel, dealing a major blow to America's hopes of placing its first robot on the lunar surface in five decades. Fixed to the top of United Launch Alliance's new Vulcan rocket, which was making its first flight, Astrobotic's Peregrine Lunar Lander blasted off overnight from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, then successfully separated from its launch vehicle. On Monday night, Astrobotic said it had approximately 40 hours of fuel remaining before Peregrine entered an "uncontrollable tumble." - Failure happens -Controlled touchdowns on the Moon are challenging, with roughly half of all attempts failing. Though they were granted a last-ditch meeting with White House and NASA officials, their misgivings were ultimately ignored.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha January 09, 2024 16:28 UTC