Astrobotic’s Peregrine launch date is ‘likely’ pushed beyond Christmas Eve

Astrobotic employees, Carnegie Mellon University researchers and members of the public were excited for a Peregrine lunar lander takeoff amidst tinsel and mistletoe, we have bad news.

Plans for the Dec. 24 launch to the moon have been scrapped for a date in the new year — tentatively between Jan. 8 and 11.

The North Side-based space tech company’s lunar lander was meant to be on board ULA’s Vulcan Rocket, alongside CMU’s Iris, which is the first American student-developed rover.

ULA President and CEO Tony Bruno cited issues during testing as the reason for the delay.

#VulcanRocket WDR update: Vehicle performed well. Ground system had a couple of (routine) issues, (being corrected). Ran the timeline long so we didn't quite finish. I'd like a FULL WDR before our first flight, so XMAS eve is likely out. Next Peregrine window is 8 Jan.

— Tory Bruno (@torybruno) December 10, 2023

This isn’t the first time the Peregrine Lunar Lander has been grounded. This past spring, the company and university eyed a launch date that included a nod to “Star Wars” with a takeoff scheduled for May 4.

“If the miracle of spaceflight happens, if the rovers survive the harsh and lunar environment that test day,” CMU Mission Control Lead Nikolai Stefanov said on April 4, “and if we can train operators, we can come together as a team and [make] this final push, then simply, there’s nothing else to say other than ‘See you on the moon.’”

But ultimately, that launch would be delayed. (It wasn’t the first time.)

The inaugural United Launch Alliance #VulcanRocket is standing atop Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral to undergo an extensive Wet Dress Rehearsal ahead of #Cert1.

Learn more about this test in the #CountdowntoVulcan: https://t.co/fyGyXCFb68 pic.twitter.com/fVKEaEF0jN

— ULA (@ulalaunch) December 8, 2023

Despite that setback, Astrobotic still had an eventful year. In June, the company joined the Westinghouse Electronic Company in signing a Memorandum of Understanding saying they would “explore collaboration” on space technology programs for NASA and the Department of Defense. Around the same time, the company became one of many entities participating in the establishment of the Space and Defense Innovation District along with Mirasol Capital and the Carnegie Science Center.

After completing a successful flight test campaign in Mojave, California in partnership with the University of Central Florida in October 2023, the company was all set for takeoff, again.

But since Bruno says the company wants a successful dress rehearsal launch before the actual flight, Pittsburghers will have to wait until 2024 to see the Peregrine and Iris go up.

See ULA updates

In the meantime, if you’re feeling particularly eager to cheer on your local space tech scene, you can check out this Iris-branded merch:

December is here and the holidays are right around the corner! Do you or your loved ones enjoy space? Buy Iris merch now at https://t.co/YwPPo6hoCy for this holiday season. ❄️🎁🎉 pic.twitter.com/WpgExJ07ls

— Iris Lunar RoverSat (Carnegie Mellon University) (@cmu_iris) December 1, 2023

Atiya Irvin-Mitchell is a 2022-2024 corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The Groundtruth Project that pairs young journalists with local newsrooms. This position is supported by the Heinz Endowments.