The first US-launched Moon lander in over 50 years might not make it

The successful launch marks the maiden flight for the ULA’s new Vulcan Centaur rocket. | Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP via Getty Images

The United Launch Alliance (ULA) successfully launched its new Vulcan Centaur rocket from Cape Canaveral on Monday at 2:18AM ET, carrying a US-made Moon lander with NASA science and research payloads onboard.
But the Peregrine lander, built by Pittsburgh-based private space tech startup Astrobotic, has suffered a malfunction in the propulsion system, causing the craft to lose fuel and critically endangering its mission. The mission would have marked a US return to the Moon for the first time in over 50 years.
The company posted the first signs of danger earlier today when, after stage separation from the Vulcan Centaur rocket, the lander failed to face its solar panels to the sun. The company said it improvised a maneuver to do so, but…

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