Astrobotic's Peregrine Lunar Lander Headed for Earth After Malfunction

Despite propellant leak and likely burn up in Earth's atmosphere, valuable data gathered; Astrobotic to attempt another lunar mission in November.

Peregrine, the private US lunar lander built by Astrobotic, is now headed towards Earth after experiencing an onboard explosion and leaking fuel since its launch on January 8.
Despite the malfunction, Astrobotic's team were able to power up science experiments they were carrying for NASA and other space agencies, and gather spaceflight data.
The spacecraft, which was intended to make a soft lunar touchdown, is now likely to burn up in the Earth's atmosphere.
NASA had paid Astrobotic more than $100 million for carrying its cargo, under an experimental program called Commercial Lunar Payload Services, aimed at seeding a commercial lunar economy.
Astrobotic will get another chance in November with its Griffin lander transporting NASA's VIPER rover to the lunar south pole.