The Peregrine lunar lander, which was launched on Monday, is returning to Earth due to a fuel leak. The manufacturer, Astrobotic, expects it to burn up in the atmosphere. Peregrine was scheduled to land on the moon on February 23.

Astrobotic Team Written on Saturday evening In an update, the Peregrine lunar lander is on its way to Earth according to the latest measurements. This is due to a fuel leak, which means there is not enough fuel to put the spacecraft into orbit around the moon. The leak is said to have been reduced “significantly” so far, but Peregrine is nonetheless said to be already on its way to Earth. The American company wrote that a soft landing will not be possible. Astrobotic says it’s considering potential next steps.

Peregrine launched on January 8 aboard United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan Centaur rocket. The Peregrine lander was built by Astrobotic on behalf of NASA. It was supposed to be the first commercial vehicle to land on the moon. This has been tried before, including by Japanese aerospace company iSpace, but it has never worked. Shortly after the lander was placed in orbit, the first problems appeared. It was announced on Tuesday that the cause was a fuel leak in the propulsion system, possibly due to an explosion. Peregrine was initially expected to collide with the Moon, but it now appears it will return to Earth.