This was reported by Space.com, as reported by Ukrinform.

“Our latest assessment indicates that the spacecraft is on its way to Earth and will likely burn up in Earth’s atmosphere,” Astrobotic said.

At the same time, the company did not specify the estimated date when Peregrine could burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere, but its engineers continue to work to save the space module.

Photo: “Astrobotic”

As of Sunday, Peregrine was approximately 389,000 kilometers away from Earth; It was just outside the orbit of the Moon, which orbits the Earth at a distance of about 384,400 km.

Astrobotic and NASA officials are expected to hold a press conference on Thursday, January 18, to discuss the status of the mission.

On Monday, United Launch Alliance launched the first Vulcan Centaur rocket into space, Ukrinform reported. As part of the test flight, it will carry the special Astrobotic Peregrine lander to the Moon.

The Peregrine mission will attempt the first US moon landing since Apollo 17 in 1972.

However, within a few hours it became clear that the device was experiencing technical problems, especially loss of power supply and then fuel loss.

As Ukrinform reports, the NASA Artemis program, which envisions astronauts landing on the moon this decade, may be postponed.

First photo: Astrobotic Technology