Astrobotic's ill-fated Peregrine lunar lander may soon be tumbling through space as space junk, but in the meantime, it's using its last breaths to collect scientific data. NASA revealed in an update on Thursday that the payload on the lander successfully collected data. Earlier in the day, Astrobotic shared a similar update on X (formerly Twitter).
NASA said it plans to extend the mission of the "Peregrine Falcon" as much as possible to continue data collection. "The measurement and operation of NASA-provided scientific instruments will provide valuable experience, technical knowledge and scientific data for future CLPS lunar delivery," Joel Kearns, associate administrator for exploration in NASA's Science Mission Directorate, said in a statement included in the NASA announcement.
In a joint mission with NASA, Pittsburgh-based private space company Astrobotic launched the Peregrine mission in the early morning of January 8. The program is the first U.S. moon landing in more than 50 years - with the ultimate goal of reaching the lunar surface in late February. But shortly after launch, a leak was detected in the Peregrine's propulsion system, and the company announced on Tuesday that it didn't have enough propellant - only a few days' worth to make a soft landing.
As of Thursday evening, the Peregrine was still operating. Astrobotic said in an update released at 4:01 p.m. Thursday that the Peregrine is estimated to have 48 hours of fuel remaining, which is significantly more than expected in previous reports because the leak has slowed over time.
The Peregrine Falcon also carried the "Iris Lunar Rover," a small lunar rover built by Carnegie Mellon University students, which was supposed to take pictures on the moon. Today, Astrobotic also released a photo of the Iris wheels and fuel tank on the X with an American flag. Iris also sent a message to Earth: "Hello Earth!"