NASA’s Lunar Flashlight probe in trouble on its way to the moon
NASA’s newest small lunar probe suffers a thruster malfunction on its way to the moon.
The spacecraft, called Moon Flashlight, launched last month on a mission to find water ice on the moon. The probe would also test a new “green” propellant during its four-month journey to the United States Moonbut the thrusters have a problem, NASA said on Thursday (Jan. 12).
While the smallsat is mostly healthy and communicating with NASA’s Deep Space Networkthe mission operations team has found that three of the four thrusters are underperforming,” NASA wrote in a to update (opens in new tab). “Based on ground testing, the team believes the underperformance may be caused by blockages in the fuel lines that could restrict propellant flow to the thrusters.”
Related: NASA water hunt Lunar Flashlight moon cubesat explained
A SpaceX Falcon 9 missile launched the Lunar Flashlight probe to the moon on Dec. 11 next to a Japanese lunar lander with a lunar rover built by the United Arab Emirates. The NASA smallsat is designed to search for water ice on the south pole of the moonwhere NASA hopes to land astronauts in a few years.
Lunar Flashlight flight controllers noticed the problems with the probe’s propulsion system about three days after launch, when it became apparent that it was moving at reduced thrust, NASA officials said. Now mission engineers are drawing up new plans to fire the thrusters longer to complete Lunar Flashlight’s journey to the moon.
“The team plans to run the thrusters for much longer soon, hoping to clear any obstacles in the thruster’s fuel line while performing trajectory correction maneuvers that will keep the smallsat on course to complete its planned orbit around the moon. reach,” NASA wrote in Thursday’s Update. “In the event that the propulsion system cannot be fully recovered, the mission team will establish alternate plans to perform those maneuvers using the propulsion system at its current reduced thrust.”
It’s going to be a challenging recovery for Lunar Flashlight, which is about the size of a briefcase. The spacecraft “will have to perform daily trajectory correction maneuvers beginning in early February to enter lunar orbit in four months,” NASA wrote. The spacecraft fires its thrusters in short pulses, each lasting a few seconds. It uses a pink fuel known as Advanced Spacecraft Energetic Non-Toxic designed to be less toxic than the hydrazine propellant on most spacecraft.
Lunar Flashlight’s mission requires the probe to enter a wide, looping orbit around the moon that will bring it to its closest point within 15 kilometers of the surface and broadcast as far as 70,000 kilometers from the moon. moon at the furthest point. (The orbit is similar to one currently being tested by NASA CAPSTONE probe and will be used by the agency Gateway station for astronauts in the future.)
From its orbit, Lunar Flashlight will use four infrared lasers and a new type of laser reflectometer to search for surface ice in permanently shadowed craters of the moon’s south pole. The spacecraft is also testing a new low-power flight computer called Sphinx that is specially designed to be radiation tolerant in the harsh environment of space. The new Iris radio is also expected to test ultra-precise navigation systems for future small probes going to other destinations in our country. solar systemNASA said.
Lunar Flashlight isn’t the only NASA lunar probe to have problems just after launch.
The CAPSTONE cubesat suffered its own misery, lose contact with the earth shortly after separating from its Rocket Lab Electron booster in July. The probe also began tumbling through space after an engine burnout in September. The Mission Operations team, led by Colorado-based company Advanced Space, was able to solve both problems. allowing CAPSTONE to reach its final orbit in November.
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