NASA lost a lunar spacecraft one day after launch. A new report details what went wrong

NASA lost a $72 million lunar spacecraft just one day after its launch in February 2026, with a newly released report detailing the technical failures that doomed the mission aimed at studying water on the moon. The spacecraft, which had successfully launched and reached orbit, experienced a critical failure during its first full day in space, according to the comprehensive report released by NASA on February 26, 2026. The mission, designed to analyze lunar water resources using advanced spectroscopy equipment, represented an important step in NASA's long-term lunar exploration strategy. The report reveals that the spacecraft suffered from a cascading series of technical issues, beginning with an unexpected power system anomaly that led to the failure of critical attitude control systems. Without proper orientation, the spacecraft was unable to maintain its solar panel alignment with the sun, causing its batteries to rapidly deplete. Mission control teams attempted emergency recovery procedures but ultimately lost communication with the craft as it drifted off course.