Key lunar satellite unexpectedly failed on route to the Moon
(NASA / Advanced Space, Terran Orbital Company https://bit.ly/3qDdIvA)
CAPSTONE, a satellite heading to the Moon to test the orbit of the future lunar habitable station Gateway, went into safe mode due to a malfunction in the attitude control system.
Right now, its condition has stabilized, and the flight trajectory remains correct
In the near future, work will begin to restore the operability of the device and the communication channel with the Earth.
CAPSTONE (Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment) is a 12U cubesat satellite with a mass of 25 kilograms launched on June 28 of this year.
It is designed to enter an unusual orbit close to the NRHO (Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit) around the second Lagrange point in the Earth-Moon system, and check its characteristics.
The NRHO it’s the place where the future international lunar station Gateway, created under the Artemis program, will operate.
The NRHO is convenient for mainly 2 reasons:
- it minimizes the amount of fuel needed to maintain orbit
- it provides an uninterrupted view of the Earth and the north and south poles of the moon.
CAPSTONE is also equipped with an experimental CAPS (Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System) navigation system.
This should reduce the load on ground tracking stations by exchanging data with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
PROBLEMS
The initial phase of the flight was successful, but shortly before the first trajectory correction maneuver, the device experienced communication problems, which were then resolved.
In the final stage of the third trajectory correction maneuver, an anomaly occurred in the operation of the attitude control system, which led to an overload of flywheel engines.
The engineers attempted to restore telemetry transmission during a day
However, it was determined that the state of the device was unstable, including power consumption, and the onboard systems periodically rebooted.
So, the spacecraft is currently in Safe Mode and appears to have transitioned to a stable state.
CAPSTONE rotates to provide partial illumination to the solar panels, which generate more power than is being used, and allows a low-gain antenna to transmit a weak signal.
Since the craft managed to complete the correction maneuver before the failure, the satellite is on the correct flight path to the Moon.
It is expected that in the near future the members of the crew mission will begin an operation to restore its normal operation.
They will first start the thermal control system and the propulsion system, then the rest of the systems, including the orientation one.
Source:
- NASA: https://advancedspace.com/capstone-12sep22-update/
- Spacenews: https://spacenews.com/capstone-enters-safe-mode-during-trajectory-correction-maneuver/
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