Peregrine lunar lander to burn up in atmosphere in latest setback to NASA moon missions

After an onboard fuel leak dashed hopes for the Peregrine lunar lander to be the first U.S. trip to the moon's surface in more than 50 years, the lander was set to head back toward Earth and burn up in our planet's atmosphere, space robotics company Astrobotic Technology announced over the weekend.

The company had teamed up with NASA to try to put the uncrewed Peregrine lander on the lunar surface this month − but it never touched down. If that mission had been a success, it would have been the first time a U.S. lander made contact with the moon since the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972.

"Sending a spacecraft to the Moon is not easy. I commend Astrobotic's hard work, resilience, and commitment as they navigate the challenges facing their mission," Nicky Fox, a rocket scientist and NASA science administrator, said on X, formerly Twitter, soon after Peregrine's fuel leak.

The Peregrine mission was meant to help NASA researchers prepare for its next Artemis missions − space flights that will take humans around the moon and eventually to the lunar surface in the coming years. Last week, NASA announced Artemis II is delayed from later this year to September 2025, and Artemis III − which would put people on the moon − until September 2026.

Peregrine set to 'burn up'

Astrobotic Technology said Sunday that the company decided to let Peregrine burn up while reentering Earth's atmosphere to avoid "the risk that our damaged spacecraft could cause a problem" in space.

Because the lander leaked a significant amount of propellant fuel, the company said it wouldn't be able to properly maneuver in space. So it's returning to Earth instead of exploring space for a longer amount of time.

"Working with NASA, we received inputs from the space community and the U.S. Government on the most safe and responsible course of action to end Peregrine’s mission," the company said in a statement. "The recommendation we have received is to let the spacecraft burn up during re-entry in Earth’s atmosphere."

Even though the lander wasn't able to touch down on the moon, scientists were able to gather important data on the "interplanetary environment" over the course of nearly a week, NASA said.

In addition to scientific payloads, Peregrine also had human remains on board.

Two private companies, Celestis and Elysium, had contracted to have cremated human remains and DNA of clients placed aboard the lunar lander for a cosmic burial. Among them are “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry and science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke.

Another 265 people are represented on the rocket that took the Peregrine lander into space. The rocket was set to circle the sun after separating from the lander.

They include three original “Star Trek” cast members, as well as strands of hair from three U.S. presidents: George Washington, Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy, The Associated Press reported.

The Navajo nation objected to human remains being taken to the moon for burial as a desecration.

What's next for NASA moon missions?

Astrobotic's Peregrine lunar lander and NASA's planned Artemis missions are all part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, which is focused on exploring the moon's surface.

Even though all the lunar missions are connected to NASA's overall goals on and around the moon, "there is no impact to Artemis II or III as a result of Astrobotic’s Peregrine Mission One," NASA spokesperson Kathryn Hambleton told USA TODAY on Tuesday.

Scientific payloads from Peregrine had been scheduled for future lunar flights, NASA says.

NASA's Orion spacecraft, which carries four crewmembers and was built by Lockheed Martin, is what will one day take humans to the moon during on Artemis missions, the space agency says. Orion is also "a key part of eventually sending them on to Mars," NASA says.

In a couple of years, Artemis III is scheduled to land the first woman and the first person of color on the moon, according to NASA. Eventually, data gathered from Artemis lunar missions will be used to prepare for human missions to Mars, NASA says.

But for now, Artemis II and III are being delayed because of a battery flaw and "challenges" with the air ventilation and temperature control systems of the Orion spacecraft, according to NASA.

NASA also said it would continue its investigation into "unexpected" charring of the spacecraft's heat shield during the Artemis I mission in late 2022, which saw Orion orbit the moon and return to Earth's atmosphere over 25 days. In that voyage, the spacecraft traveled 40,000 miles past the moon, farther than any spacecraft built for humans has gone before, according to NASA.

"Safety is our top priority," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said at a news conference this month, explaining why future Artemis missions are delayed. "To give Artemis teams more time to work through the challenges with first time developments, operations and integration, we're going to give more time on Artemis II and III."

Contributing: Cybele Mayes-Osterman, George Petras, Jennifer Borresen and Eric Lagatta