Fuel leak dooms first Moon mission for over 50 years

THE first US lunar landing attempt in more than half a century is heading for disaster after the spacecraft developed a fuel leak hours after launch.

- Robert Kellaway

Astrobotic Technology said the lander, named Peregrine, had "no chance" of completing its planned landing on the Moon.

In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, the company: "Given the propellant leak, there is, unfortunately, no chance of a soft landing on the Moon. However, we do still have enough propellant to continue to operate the vehicle as a spacecraft."

Thrusters

Yesterday morning Astrobotic warned the lander would start losing power in about 40 hours but it had managed to orient it towards the sun so a solar panel could charge its battery, as a team assessed the status of "a failure in the propulsion system".