US Moon mission has no chance of soft lunar landing

A US lunar lander has "no chance" of making a soft landing on the Moon due to a fuel leak, the company behind the mission says.

Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic said there was enough propellant to operate its Peregrine lander as a spacecraft.

The lander is expected to run out of fuel in about 40 hours, the firm said shortly after 17:00 GMT on Tuesday.

The 1.2-tonne lander was launched from Cape Canaveral on Monday, with the intention of landing in late February.

"Given the propellant leak, there is, unfortunately, no chance of a soft landing on the Moon," the company said in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter.

"The team has updated its estimates, and we currently expect to run out of propellant in about 40 hours from now - an improvement on last night's estimate.

"The team continues to work to find ways to extend Peregrine's operational life."

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