US company forced to abort moon landing attempt due to fuel leak

On Tuesday, a U.S. company was compelled to abandon its mission of landing a spacecraft on the moon due to a severe fuel leak.

Astrobotic Technology’s lander began losing fuel shortly after Monday’s launch, possibly due to a ruptured tank. The spacecraft was having trouble keeping its solar panels pointed at the sun and generating solar energy as controllers scrambled to salvage what they could from the mission.

“Unfortunately, due to a propellant leak, there is no possibility of a soft landing on the moon,” Astrobotic said in a statement.

Astrobotic had targeted a lunar landing on February 23 after a roundabout, fuel-efficient flight to the moon. It could have been the first US moon landing in more than 50 years, and the first private attempt. Another lander from the Houston company is scheduled to be released next month.

Only four countries have managed to land on the moon.

Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic said the new goal was to keep the counter operational for as long as possible in space to avoid a similar problem on the next mission a year from now. Flight controllers managed to keep the spacecraft pointed at the sun and its battery fully charged, and operations are expected to continue for another 40 hours.

The company said a stuck valve may have caused high-pressure helium to flood the oxidizer tank, causing it to explode just hours into the flight. An official evaluation board consisting of experts in the field determines the reason.

There is no indication that United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan rocket, which launched the lander, contributed to the problem, the company added.

NASA paid Astrobotic $108 million to fly experiments to the moon on this mission, part of the agency’s commercial lunar program.

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