Astrobotic’s Peregrine mission falls apart
Sadly, Peregrine did not perform as expected. The spacecraft began to leak its fuel shortly after entering space, the result of a faulty valve. The image above, taken by Peregrine’s onboard camera, shows a badly warped insulation layer, likely the result of a ruptured oxidizer tank. Lacking the required fuel for a lunar touchdown, Astrobotic’s private cargo mission, funded by NASA, had to be called off.
Related article: Peregrine’s Failure Won’t Derail NASA’s Outsourced Space Dreams
