A private US lunar lander is currently heading towards Earth and will likely burn up in the atmosphere, the company said on Saturday. Astrobotic has been publishing regular updates on the status of the Peregrine lander since the beginning of its ill-fated journey, which began with its launch on January 8 aboard a brand new Vulcan rocket built by the United Launch Alliance.

Shortly after separating from the rocket, an explosion occurred on the spacecraft, and it quickly became clear that it would not be able to make a soft landing on the moon due to the amount of fuel it had lost – but the Astrobotics team managed to activate the rocket. Science experiments were postponed to collect data for NASA and other space agencies and for spaceflights.

“Our latest assessment indicates that the spacecraft is heading towards Earth and will likely burn up in Earth’s atmosphere,” the Pittsburgh-based company posted on X.

“The team is currently evaluating options and we will update as soon as possible.”

Astrobotic added that the box-shaped robot has been in space for more than five days and is now 242,000 miles (390,000 kilometers) from our planet.

Peregrin’s orbit was closely monitored by space observers, and many hoped that it would still make a “hard landing” on the moon, as other failed landers had done, but it is now clear that even this shortened goal cannot be achieved.

In addition to scientific equipment, the spacecraft carries cargo including a can of sports drinks, physical Bitcoin, as well as human and animal ashes and DNA for Astrobotic’s private customers.

astrobotic It became the latest private organization to fail a soft landing, following an Israeli non-profit organization and a Japanese company.

NASA paid Astrobotic more than $100 million to transport its cargo as part of an experimental program called Commercial Lunar Payload Services. The overall goal is to create a commercial monthly economy and reduce your own overhead expenses.

Although it didn’t work this time, NASA officials made clear that the “more shots on goal” strategy meant more scoring chances, and Houston-based Intuitive Machines’ next attempt will begin in February.

Astrobotic itself will get another chance in November, when its Griffin lander will carry NASA’s VIPER rover to the moon’s south pole.