NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program has seen mixed results in its attempts to deliver payloads to the lunar surface. Despite a single successful landing, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost 1 lander touched down on the moon in early March, carrying 10 NASA payloads. The success of this mission is a “proof positive” that the CLPS model works.
However, not all missions have been successful. Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander experienced propulsion anomalies hours after launch, preventing it from landing on the moon. Another IM-1 lander mission by Intuitive Machines landed successfully but fell over, and the IM-2 mission ended up in a crater due to power generation issues.
Despite these setbacks, NASA is pressing ahead with additional CLPS missions. The next mission, scheduled for August, will launch Blue Origin’s first robotic lander carrying a single NASA payload. Another mission, set for September, will be launched by Astrobotic and carry a commercial rover developed by Venturi Astrolab.
NASA is also exploring options for partnering with private companies to fly its VIPER lunar rover on future missions. The agency has received proposals from several companies in response to its call for partnerships and is reviewing the submissions.
The challenges faced by NASA’s lunar mission program are not limited to landers and rovers. The Lunar Trailblazer orbiter, which was launched as a secondary payload on the Falcon 9 carrying the IM-2 lander, suffered power and communications problems shortly after launch. Despite efforts to restore contact with the spacecraft, these issues remain unresolved.
Source: https://spacenews.com/nasa-hails-blue-ghost-1-mission-as-proof-positive-of-clps-program