"Setback for Peregrine Lunar Lander as Fuel Loss Jeopardizes Historic US Moon Landing"
Astrobotic's Peregrine lunar lander, launched aboard United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur rocket, encountered a propulsion system anomaly causing a critical loss of propellant, making a successful lunar landing highly unlikely. The mission, part of NASA's CLIPS program, aimed to conduct scientific research on the moon's environment ahead of future crewed missions. Despite this setback, Astrobotic plans to launch the Griffin Mission One later this year, carrying NASA's Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover to search for water ice on the moon's south pole.