Peregrine Lunar Lander heading back to Earth
CAPE CANAVERAL, Flor. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - The Peregrine Lunar Lander is headed back to Earth Tuesday.
Its mission to touchdown on the moon failed last week due to a propellant leak on board the spacecraft.
That leak slowed on Saturday, but astrobotics said that it expects the lander to burn up as it re-enters Earth's atmosphere.
The Peregrine Mission One was to be the first time a private American company sent a spacecraft to the moon, and the first time the U.S. returned to the lunar surface in more than 50 years.
It is not yet clear what caused the leak.