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First US Moon Lander Mission in 50 Years Goes Awry in Space
- Astrobotic’s lander suffers critical loss of propellant
- India, Israel and Japan have targeted Moon in recent years
Astrobotic Technology Inc.’s Peregrine robotic lunar lander suffered a technical glitch in space, casting doubt on the startup’s plans to land the spacecraft on the moon at the end of February.
After launching from Florida at 2:18 a.m. local time Monday aboard United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan booster, the Peregrine lander separated from the rocket roughly 50 minutes after takeoff and “entered a safe operational state” before the problem happened.