First U.S. lunar landing mission in decades jeopardized by malfunction

A malfunction and an unexpected fuel shortage Monday afternoon made a U.S. company’s quest for a moon landing less likely. On Monday morning, United Launch Alliance’s brand new Vulcan rocket launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida, carrying a lunar lander designed by Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic Technology. NASA provided live coverage of the launch (seen below). The company hoped to make a lunar landing attempt on Feb. 23. Hours after liftoff, however, Astrobotic Technology reported a problem with the lander’s propulsion system, which eventually resulted in a “critical” shortage of propellant. On Monday afternoon, the company was still troubleshooting the issue but also said it was looking at “alternative mission profiles,” meaning it could scrub the lunar landing. The last time a U.S. spacecraft landed on the moon was during the Apollo 17 mission in Dec. 1972.

Is Astrobotic Technology the only U.S. company making a moon shot? There’s another company with designs on a lunar landing, and the competition is tight. Houston-based Intuitive Machines plans to launch its lunar lander next month aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. It’s taking a more direct route to the moon and could attempt to land Feb. 22, a day before United Launch Alliance’s attempt.

Dig Deeper: Listen to Bonnie Pritchett’s report on The World and Everything in It podcast about NASA’s recent mission that returned to Earth with asteroid materials.