Science News Roundup: NASA to push back moon mission timelines amid spacecraft delays - sources; Moon lander problem threatens mission after Vulcan rocket makes successful debut and more

Space robotics firm Astrobotic Technology's Peregrine lunar lander had launched successfully to space at 2:18 a.m. ET from Cape Canaveral, Florida, aboard the first flight of Vulcan, a rocket that had been under development for a decade by the Boeing and Lockheed Martin joint venture United Launch Alliance (ULA).

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Astrobotic's lunar lander suffers glitch in space, moon mission fate unclear

A privately built moon lander launched Monday morning to make the first U.S. soft lunar landing in more than 50 years failed to enter its correct orientation in space, suffering what its owners termed an "anomaly" that calls the mission's fate into question. "Unfortunately, an anomaly occurred, which prevented Astrobotic from achieving a stable sun-pointing orientation," Astrobotic said in a statement.

NASA to push back moon mission timelines amid spacecraft delays - sources

NASA is set to delay its next few missions to the moon under a key program as technical hurdles mount with the various spacecraft it intends to use to get there, according to four people familiar with NASA's plans. The U.S. space agency is expected to announce the plans on Tuesday after spending months tracking progress with contractors and considering changes to the Artemis program, a multi-billion dollar effort that includes returning the first astronauts to the moon since the last Apollo mission in 1972.

Moon lander problem threatens mission after Vulcan rocket makes successful debut

A robotic lander built by a private company suffered a propulsion system issue on its way to the moon on Monday, upending the first U.S. soft lunar landing attempt in over 50 years as mission managers scrambled to fix its position in space. Space robotics firm Astrobotic Technology's Peregrine lunar lander had launched successfully to space at 2:18 a.m. ET from Cape Canaveral, Florida, aboard the first flight of Vulcan, a rocket that had been under development for a decade by the Boeing and Lockheed Martin joint venture United Launch Alliance (ULA).