--- title: "Private NASA-Funded Moon Lander Is in “Critical” Condition" description: "NASA's first shot at launching a Moon lander in over 50 years seems almost certainly like it's not going to make it." date: "2024-01-08" modified: "2024-01-08" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-peregrine-moon-lander-critical" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Moon" - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "astrobotic" - "NASA" - "peregrine lander" - "the digest" --- # Private NASA-Funded Moon Lander Is in “Critical” Condition ![NASA's first shot at launching a Moon lander in over 50 years seems almost certainly like it's not going to make it.]() *\Image: NASA via X\* ## Critical Support NASA's first shot at launching a Moon lander in over 50 years seems almost certainly like it's not going to make it, given another update claiming the lander has suffered a "critical" injury. In a [press statement]() posted on X-formerly-Twitter, the Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic spaceflight company said that its NASA-funded Peregrine lander, which took off from Cape Canaveral earlier today on the maiden voyage of United United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket, had experienced a "critical loss of propellant." News of this issue comes after a previous [post-launch update]() about a communications "anomaly" that seemed to signal serious trouble. "The team is working to try and stabilize this loss, but given the situation, we have prioritized maximizing the science and data we can capture," the press release reads. "We are currently assessing what alternative mission profiles may be feasible at this time." Reading between the lines of space-speak, it seems a lot like Astrobotic is admitting that this iteration of the small Peregrine lander — which [contains among its payloads]() a physical Bitcoin, a piece of Mount Everest, and some of "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry's remains — is going to be lost in space and never reach the Moon. ## Back to the Launchpad Sponsored by NASA's [Commercial Lunar Payload Services]() (CLPS) program, the Peregrine lander was supposed to be the first of five commercial spaceflight missions contracted by the agency to deliver payloads onto the Moon's surface. It was also, if successful, going to be the first commercial craft to ever touch down on the lunar surface, and the first time any United States-based craft had landed on the Moon in over 50 years. Though Astrobotic is far from a household name, it has deep roots with NASA that make this all-but-certain mission failure all the more tragic. Nearly a decade ago, the [agency announced]() that Astrobotic was one of three private sector partners selected to develop lunar landers, and the [craft was dubbed "Peregrine]()" in 2016 as the company began preparing it for the long road to launch. While these sorts of things happen all the time — [just ask SpaceX]()! — it's still a blow against the start of NASA and the United States' big Moon year. The rest of the year will see the scheduled launches of [two other CLPS crafts]() and, if all goes according to plan, the [second phase of the Artemis mission]() that will see four astronauts traveling for the first lunar flyby since the 1970s. In its own statement posted to X, NASA affirmed Astrobotic's achievements and rationalized that "[each mission is an opportunity to learn]()." That's a very kind way of saying that failure is a learning experience, and hopefully whatever this teachable moment brings to Astrobotic will make forthcoming launches work go more smoothly. **More on the Moon:** [*Man Sending His DNA to the Moon So Aliens Can Clone Him and Put Him in a Zoo*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()