Doomed Peregrine moon lander on course for fiery return to Earth | Science

A US spacecraft that malfunctioned on the way to the moon will plunge back to Earth on Thursday evening and burn up in a fireball over the south Pacific Ocean.

A fuel leak onboard the Peregrine lander had made it challenging for space agencies to track the doomed spacecraft, but as the leak subsided in recent days, its path became more predictable.

Based on the latest calculations, the lander will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere at about 2100 GMT on Thursday, with most of the spacecraft burning up to the east of Australia between New Caledonia and Fiji. The closest populated spot is Aneityum,…