The spacecraft ahs suffered a ‘critical fuel leak’ (Picture: PA/AP)
A spacecraft carrying President John F Kennedy’s DNA to the moon could be lost forever after crew discovered a ‘critical fuel leak’.
Peregrine One, which is carrying the former US president’s hair sample and the ashes of hundreds of other people, will start losing power in less than 40 hours.
This means the Nasa-backed lander will be unable to stop or modify its course, potentially losing the remains forever in space.
Private company Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic Technology did manage to orient Peregrine towards the sun to charge the solar-powered battery.
But they discovered there a ‘failure in the propulsion system’, further dimming any hope the first moon landing attempt in 50 years will be a success.
A propulsion system problem ‘threatens the ability of the spacecraft to soft land on the moon’, the company said.
The trouble was reported about seven hours after Monday’s pre-dawn liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Astrobotic Technology said: ‘Unfortunately, it appears the failure within the propulsion system is causing a critical loss of propellant.
Peregrine Mission One launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida on Monday (Picture: PA)
Peregrine One is carrying the former president’s hair sample (Picture: Bettmann Archive)
‘The team is working to try and stabilise this loss, but given the situation, we have prioritised maximising the science and data we can capture.
‘We are currently assessing what alternative mission profiles may be feasible at this time.’
Astrobotic was aiming to be the first private business to successfully land on the moon, something only four countries have accomplished.
An image from a mounted camera shows a disturbed section of insulation on the Peregrine lander (Picture: AP)
Nasa gave the two companies millions to build and fly their own lunar landers.
Astrobotic’s contract with Nasa for the Peregrine lander was £85 million and it has more in the pipeline.
Before the flight, Nasa’s Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration, noted that while using private companies to make deliveries to the moon will be cheaper and quicker than going the usual government route, there will be added risk.
He stressed that the space agency was willing to accept that risk, noting Monday: ‘Each success and setback are opportunities to learn and grow.’
The UK-built component – called the Exospheric Mass Spectrometer – represents the first instrument on the Moon that has been built in the UK and in Europe.
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The ashes of hundreds of others may also spend the rest of eternity floating in space.