---
title: "First US Moon Lander in 50 Years in Serious Trouble After Launch"
description: "The first US lunar lander to have been sent into space in more than half a century is in serious trouble. The lander dubbed Peregrine One, built by Pittsburgh-based private space company Astrobotic, launched on a United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket — the rocket's maiden voyage — from Cape Canaveral earlier this morning. Unfortunately, according […]"
date: "2024-01-08"
modified: "2024-01-08"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/peregrine-moon-lander-serious-trouble"
categories:
  - "Astronomy"
  - "Moon"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "astrobotic"
  - "moon"
  - "NASA"
  - "peregrine lander"
  - "the digest"
---

# First US Moon Lander in 50 Years in Serious Trouble After Launch

![The first US lunar lander to have been sent into space in more than half a century is in serious trouble after experiencing an "anomaly."](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/peregrine-moon-lander-serious-trouble.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Astrobotic\</em\>*

*Update: Things are [not looking good for the Peregrine lander](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-peregrine-moon-lander-critical>).*

The first US lunar lander to be launched into space in more than half a century is in serious trouble.

The lander, dubbed Peregrine One and built by Pittsburgh-based private space company Astrobotic, launched on a United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket — the rocket's maiden voyage — from Cape Canaveral earlier this morning.

Unfortunately, according to a [recent statement](<https://twitter.com/astrobotic/status/1744367789953933641>) shared by Astrobotic on X-formerly-Twitter, "an anomaly occurred, which prevented Astrobotic from achieving a stable Sun-pointing orientation."

The issue is making it difficult for the spacecraft to fully charge its battery, which could herald serious issues.

Just over an hour later, Astrobotic offered up a [followup statement](<https://twitter.com/astrobotic/status/1744389634568724791>), saying that the unstable position "if proven true, threatens the ability of the spacecraft to soft land on the Moon."

In response, the team "developed and executed an improvised maneuver to reorient the solar panels towards the Sun."

The hasty plan unfortunately had some unforeseen consequences, seemingly causing the spacecraft to lose communications.

In short, it's not looking good for the country's first effort to softly land a spacecraft on the Moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

**More on the mission:** *[Private American Moon Mission Launching Monday](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/private-american-moon-mission-launching-monday>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)