From Fortune:

First moon landing attempt in over 50 years was disrupted by a fuel leak on a private company’s spacecraft just hours after Monday’s launch. The Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic Technology’s lander, named Peregrine, was set for a moon landing on Feb. 23 but developed a “critical” fuel leak. The propulsion system problem “threatens the ability of the spacecraft to soft land on the moon.” Astrobotic is the first private business to successfully land on the moon and has a contract with NASA for the Peregrine lander worth $108 million.

United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket provided the lift for Astrobotic’s lander and is an upgraded version of ULA’s Atlas V. Astrobotic made the mission into more than just a space delivery by offering its own freight business and drummed up its own freight business by delivering a chip of rock from Mount Everest, toy-size cars from Mexico, the ashes and DNA of deceased space enthusiasts, and more.

Cargo fares for Peregrine ranged from a few hundred dollars to $1.2 million per kilogram, not nearly enough for Astrobotic to break even. However, for this first flight, that’s not the point. “A lot of people’s dreams and hopes are riding on this,”.” Astrobotic’s contract with NASA for the Peregrine lander was $108 million and it has more in the pipeline.



Read more: First moon landing attempt in 50 years fails from fuel leak hours before blast-off