Rebecca Rogers, a systems engineer, on the left, makes dimensions measurements of the CAPSTONE spacecraft in April 2022, at Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, Inc., in Irvine, California. NASA said on Tuesday, July 5 that it has lost contact with a $ 32.7 million spacecraft. The spacecraft headed to the moon to test an unbalanced lunar orbit, but the agency’s engineers hope to be able to fix the problem. Credit: Dominic Hart / NASA via AP
NASA said Wednesday that contact has been re-established with its $ 32.7 million spacecraft aimed at the Moon to test a balanced lunar orbit.
Contact was lost after a successful communication and a partial second Monday, after the spacecraft left Earth’s orbit on its way to the moon, the space agency said.
The spacecraft spent almost a week circling the world after launching from New Zealand on 28 June.
The 55-pound satellite is the size of a microwave oven and will be the first spacecraft to test this oval orbit, which is where NASA wants to put its Advanced Gateway site. The gateway would serve as a meeting point for astronauts before descending to the lunar surface.
The orbit balances the gravities of the Earth and the Moon and therefore requires few maneuvers and therefore fuel and allows the satellite, or a space station, to remain in constant contact with the Earth.
NASA: Contact with the spacecraft has been lost on its way to test the moon’s orbit
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Citation: Restored contact with NASA spacecraft aimed at the lunar orbit (2022, July 6) recovered on July 6, 2022
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