The NASA team responsible for the mission Capstone It has held its breath for hours after problems were recorded in communication with the ship, launched on July 4. It is a small probe, a cubeSat, sent to study a new lunar orbit for the future station Gatewaywhich will support future missions of the Artemis program, the return of astronauts to our satellite.
Following the Capstone (Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment) launch, the spacecraft successfully deployed solar panels, stabilized and began charging its onboard battery.
The spacecraft’s propulsion system was also readied for the spacecraft’s first maneuver. Capstone, the size of a microwave oven, made initial contact with the DSN (Deep Space Network) ground station in Madrid, followed by partial contact with the Goldstone ground station in California. From these contacts, mission operators have been able to determine the probe’s approximate position and velocity in space.
As a result of communication problems, Capstone’s first trajectory correction maneuver, originally scheduled for the morning of July 5, was delayed. This maneuver is the first in a series of moves designed to make small corrections and increase the accuracy of the transfer orbit to the Moon. The spacecraft remains on the predicted lunar transfer ballistic trajectory while awaiting this correction.
The team has good trajectory data for the spacecraft based on the ground station’s first complete pass and partial second pass with Deep Space Network. “If necessary, the mission has enough fuel to delay the post-separation trajectory correction maneuver for several days,” NASA said in a statement. Hours later, the US space agency issued another information note in which it reported that the communication systems had been restored, and that the details of the problem will be offered shortly.
This feature is for subscribers only
subscribe
This feature is for subscribers only
subscribe