“Astrobotic has positioned the Peregrine spacecraft for a safe, controlled re-entry to Earth over a remote area of the South Pacific. The team has been continuously monitoring our re-entry analysis with [the US space agency, Nasa],” the company said in its latest mission update.
“We expect re-entry to occur at approximately 16:00 Thursday, January 18 EST (21:00 GMT).”
Peregrine is the first of eight planned missions in NASA’s commercial lunar payload services initiative.
How it started: The brand new rocket, United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan Centaur, lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41d at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on January 8, 2024, for its maiden voyage, carrying Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander. (CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP)