US space company optimistic about next Moon mission despite failure

The director of the American space companywhose module lunar landing failed this week in its mission to reach the Moonexpressed optimism Friday that the next attempt will achieve its goal.

“Now I am more confident than ever that our next mission will be successful and land on the surface of the Moon“, declared John Thornton, head of Astrobotic, at a press conference, while highlighting the challenges that his team had overcome in the”unexpected but very exciting mission”.

Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander was launched on January 8 as part of a new experimental partnership between the American space agency NASA and private industry aimed at reducing costs for American taxpayers and seeding a lunar economy.

But the lander suffered an explosion shortly after separating from its rocket and a fuel leak occurred that damaged its outer shell and prevented it from reaching its destination.

Thornton said the problem was probably due to a faulty valve and that a full investigation would be carried out.

But he was optimistic about the mission.

“After that anomaly, we had victory after victory, proving that the spacecraft worked in space and that the payloads could work“he said, referring to the scientific experiments on board, particularly the POTwho were able to collect data.

Astrobotic’s next mission, scheduled for November, consists of transporting a explorer developed by the NASA at South Pole of the Moonwhere American astronauts are scheduled to explore in the coming years.