In the early morning of January 8, local time, the U.S. "Peregrine Falcon" lunar lander was launched at Cape Canaveral Space Force Base in Florida, marking the first U.S. mission to the moon since the completion of the "Apollo 17" mission in 1972 for more than 50 years.
Unlike other countries, the U.S. launch of the Peregrine Falcon lunar lander and the rockets used in this time are all provided by private companies, the former was developed by the American Aerospace Robotics Corporation and the latter was provided by the United Launch Alliance Corporation.
Under the contract, Aerospace Robotics signed a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for a total amount of 1$0.8 billion in contracts. If the Peregrine falcon successfully lands on the moon, a variety of NASA scientific instruments on board will assist in experiments such as checking lunar radiation levels, analyzing soil composition, and studying the atmosphere.
Regrettably, however, the Peregrine falcon suffered a fuel leak within a few hours of launch, causing the solar panels to not be able to face the sun stably. This problem left the Peregrine Falcon unable to recharge and perform a series of experimental missions as originally planned.
According to Aerospace Robotics, in this case, the attitude control system of the Peregrine Falcon can work for up to 40 hours. The company's final decision now is to get the Peregrine Falcon as close to the moon as possible, rather than continuing with the lunar landing program.
On the evening of the 8th, the US Aerospace Robotics Corporation issued a statement announcing that the "Peregrine Falcon" had abandoned its lunar landing program. This also means that the U.S. Peregrine lander has not been able to achieve a "soft landing" on the lunar surface.
In this mission, the private-led model has raised questions about its feasibility. During the Apollo program in the 20th century, NASA led the moon landing mission alone, successfully making the United States the first country to achieve the moon landing. However, the current U.S. mission to the moon is dominated by the private sector, and NASA has a "stake", but it has failed in this mission.
Affected by technology and other factors, NASA has begun to postpone a series of lunar exploration missions. On the 9th local time, NASA announced that the "Artemis 2" manned mission around the moon will be postponed to September 2025, and the "Artemis 3" manned lunar landing program will also be postponed to September 2026.
The 50-year window period seems to have temporarily incapacitated the United States in the field of moon landing. Whether the new model led by private companies can be an effective way to explore the future has led to further thinking about the US moon landing program. Project Sword