NEW YORK, January 10. /TASS/. US private company Astrobotic said the soft landing on the Moon by its Peregrine mission had been made impossible by a fuel leak.

"Given the propellant leak, there is, unfortunately, no chance of a soft landing on the Moon," the company’s press service said in a statement, posted on the X social network, formerly known as Twitter.

"However, we do still have enough propellant to continue to operate the vehicle as a spacecraft," Astrobotic said.

The company is currently working on ways to extend Peregrine’s operational life.

US company United Launch Alliance (ULA) launched the Peregrine lander atop the Vulcan carrier rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on January 8. A few hours after the separation, it was reported that the space module experienced a malfunction that prevented it from going into a "stable sun-pointing orientation.".