CAPSTONE Satellite Suffers Comms Issue, is Now Working Again
CAPSTONE satellite suffers comms issue, is now working again:
NASA's CAPSTONE satellite, in an experimental orbit around the moon, has been experiencing communications problems but is now back and running as it should be. The small CubeSat was designed to test out an experimental fuel-efficient orbit around the moon to pave the way for future moon-based infrastructure.
CAPSTONE has experienced several problems on its way to the moon. Shortly after its launch in July 2022, NASA lost contact with the satellite due to a problem with the radio system, but contact was reestablished after a few days.
[...] Since then, CAPSTONE has completed 12.5 orbits of the moon, which is well past its original objective of six orbits. This is important as it helps demonstrate the feasibility of this orbit for future missions like the planned Gateway lunar space station.
However, the satellite has been having more problems this year, with a communications issue beginning last month. Fortunately, that issue has now been fixed.
[...] Now, the team is getting the satellite ready for its next job: testing out a navigation system called Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System, or CAPS. The idea is to use data from both CAPSTONE and another moon-orbiting spacecraft, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, to identify the exact position of a satellite in space using an approach called cross-link. Another test will be of a new data type for sending data using an onboard atomic clock.
NASA's Lunar Flashlight Won't Make It to its Planned Orbit
NASA's Lunar Flashlight won't make it to its planned orbit:
The Lunar Flashlight, a small type of satellite called a CubeSat, was launched in December last year but soon experienced problems on its journey. Three of its four thrusters were not working correctly, making it hard for the satellite to perform the maneuvers necessary to enter its planned lunar orbit.
[...] The spacecraft now almost certainly won't make it to its planned near-rectilinear halo orbit. All is not completely lost, however. The team is working on a plan to salvage what they can from the mission by getting the satellite into a high Earth orbit, which would allow it to make flybys of the moon and give it the opportunity to collect data from the moon's south pole.
[...] NASA was philosophical in its announcement of the problem, pointing out that Lunar Flashlight was a technology demonstration with a new miniaturized propulsion system — meaning it was essentially a test of a new concept. "Technology demonstrations are high-risk, high-reward endeavors intended to push the frontiers of space technology," the agency wrote in the announcement. "The lessons learned from these challenges will help to inform future missions that further advance this technology."
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Thursday February 16, @05:46PM
Unfortunately, even with the "cheap" launches that SpaceX can do, it's not all that cheap to launch any type of satellite. Of course, it's not necessarily something you want to dumb down too much. So, maybe it's near the sweet spot? Would be nice to hear about more, interesting satellite projects.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"