The doomed US moon lander is on a collision course with Earth and will be destroyed to protect other satellites

• Astrobotic will let its lander burn up in the Earth's atmosphere when it comes back to our planet.
• The spacecraft's mission to the moon was scuppered shortly after launch due to a fuel leak. 
• Astrobotic has decided to sacrifice the spacecraft to protect other satellites orbiting the moon. 

The doomed US lunar lander is on a collision course with Earth and will be destroyed early to protect other satellites that may get in its way.

"Our latest assessment now shows the spacecraft is on a path towards Earth, where it will likely burn up in Earth's atmosphere," Astrobotic, the company behind the Peregrine lander, said on Saturday.