Caption: The first images sent back from space by the Peregrine Falcon lunar lander show that its thermal insulation has wrinkled. The U.S. Aerospace Robotics Corporation said on the 8th that this pointed to an abnormality in the propulsion system. (Visual China)
Li Zhun, special correspondent of this newspaper in the United States, Fan Wei, and Liu Haoran, reporters of this newspaper
At 2:18 a.m. EST on the 8th, the "Peregrine Falcon" lunar lander, named after the world's fastest flying bird and developed by the American private company Aerospace Robotics, was launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Base in Florida on the "Vulcan Centaur" rocket developed by the United Launch Alliance, and the flames ejected by the rocket lit up the entire night sky. This is the first time that the United States has launched a lunar mission in more than 50 years, and it is also the first time that a private company has led the lunar mission. However, less than 24 hours after the launch of the Peregrine Falcon, the mission objective of the lunar lander was declared "as close to the moon as possible" due to "severe losses of propellant", and the Associated Press said that the mission to the moon "seemed doomed". In the eyes of the industry, this lunar mission sets the tone for the next phase of NASA's lunar exploration model, which is to outsource the related tasks to the private sector, first exploring the moon with a lander and then launching a manned mission. However, the New York Times said on the 8th that the failure raised questions about NASA's strategy of relying on private companies to carry out scientific experiments on the surface of the moon.
"Abandoned" the moon landing
According to a report by CBS on the 8th, about 50 minutes after liftoff, the "Peregrine Falcon" separated from the rocket, and then entered safe operation mode. According to the original plan, the lunar lander will first orbit along the Earth's orbit, break away from the Earth's gravity and enter the Earth-Moon transfer orbit, head to the Moon, and finally achieve a "soft landing" on the lunar surface, and the expected landing time is February 23.
However, only a few hours after the launch on the 8th, the American Aerospace Robotics Corporation said that the solar panels of the Peregrine Falcon could not stably face the sun, and the power supply was difficult to maintain effectively, and the problem may be caused by an abnormal propulsion system. According to CNN, the problems with the battery were later resolved, but the failure of the propulsion system was not resolved, and the propellant was experiencing "serious losses". In this case, the attitude control system of the "Peregrine Falcon" may work for up to another 40 hours.
"Now, our goal is to get the Peregrine Falcon as close to the Moon as possible before it can remain facing the Sun and lose its kinetic energy. Aerospace Robotics said in a statement later on the 8th. "The Peregrine Falcon mission abandons the attempt to land on the moon. CNN said that the statement of the aerospace robotics company means that the lander's plan to achieve a "soft landing" on the surface of the moon is no longer possible.
Yang Yuguang, vice chairman of the Space Transportation Committee of the International Astronautical Federation, told the Global Times on the 9th that propulsion system failure is a common type of spacecraft failure, and this kind of failure is more fatal for lunar exploration missions. For the lander, there are several important links from entering the Earth-Moon transfer orbit to achieving lunar landing, and mid-course correction, near-moon braking, and "soft landing" by lowering the orbital altitude all rely on the participation of the propulsion system and attitude control system. The speed increments required for these lunar steps were very large, and too much propellant leakage meant that a normal "soft landing" could not be achieved.
Under a $108 million contract with NASA, Aerospace Robotics developed the Peregrine Falcon. CNN said that the cost of the company's Peregrine Falcon mission outweighed the benefits, and its CEO, John Thornton, had said that failure would not lead to the end of the business, but it would certainly mean that there would be many challenges, such as affecting their ability to complete other tasks. Thornton recently told CNN that he sees the Peregrine Falcon on the moon more as a mission related to the success of the industry than just a specific mission. "Every success and setback is an opportunity to learn and Xi and grow. NASA senior official Joel Kearns said in a statement on the 8th.
"Significant loss"
Originally, the "Peregrine Falcon" was expected to become the first American lander to land on the surface of the moon since the end of the US "Apollo 17" lunar mission in 1972, and it was also regarded as the first real "commercial lunar exploration" in the history of the United States. The American journal Nature has said that this trip may lead to a "new era" of lunar research.
"Abandoning the moon landing is not only a major loss for Aerospace Robotics. CNN said the Peregrine Falcon carried a variety of NASA scientific instruments, as well as 15 payloads from other agencies and countries. NASA had planned to carry out experiments or programs to check the moon's radiation levels, analyze soil composition, study the atmosphere, and so on. According to Barron's, NASA hopes to use such missions to explore the lunar environment, pave the way for its Artemis program, achieve the goal of returning American astronauts to the moon in the 2020s, and prepare for future missions to Mars.
Yang Yuguang said that the failure of the "peregrine falcon" to land on the moon will not have a direct impact on NASA's manned mission around the moon and subsequent manned missions to the moon planned this year, but in the long run, the US plan to build a lunar base in the return to the moon program will be affected. In NASA's plans, many of the scientific research and living equipment sent to the lunar surface will need to rely on commercial space companies to provide transportation services.
NASA may delay the implementation of the lunar exploration mission
"Given the lag in the development of the Starship previously developed by SpaceX for the U.S. manned lunar lander, and the fact that many key technologies have not yet entered the verification stage, we are almost certain that the U.S. plan to achieve a manned lunar landing in 2025 will be delayed. Yang Yuguang said.
As the expert's judgment, Reuters and CNN reported on the 9th that NASA plans to announce the postponement of a series of lunar exploration missions due to "technical difficulties" and other factors, including the "Artemis 2" manned mission around the moon will be "delayed for several months". Other problems facing the lunar program include larger-than-expected damage to the ground infrastructure used to build, transport and launch rockets, the need for maintenance and repairs, and the time-consuming selection of astronauts and coordination with partners, according to the agency's report.
For some in the United States, landing on the moon is not just a mission to space exploration. The Associated Press recently outlined the "achievements" of various countries in the past two years in the moon landing, saying that China and India have succeeded, Russia, Japan and Israel have failed, and "landing without being damaged is not an easy task."
Now, the report said, two private companies are busy bringing the United States back to this "game", in addition to the aerospace robotics company, the American "intuitive machine" also plans to launch a lunar lander this year. Steve Eltermus, the company's chief executive, said the space race was "more about geopolitics, China is going into space, the rest of the world is going here," and "we certainly want to be number one." The report mentioned that Japan plans to carry out the private lunar probe HAKUTO-R mission to the moon again this year, and if successful, it will become the fifth country to land on the moon after the United States, Russia, China and India. China also plans to launch the Chang'e-6 lunar exploration mission in 2024. ▲