“It’s hard not to take root for the little one.”
All figured out
NASA scientists let out a big sigh of relief yesterday when NASA was able to successfully re-establish contact with its CAPSTONE satellite after it suddenly sank into the silence of the radio.
And fortunately for NASA scientists, CAPSTONE “looks happy and healthy.”
Now, thanks to his tireless efforts, we finally know what caused the abandonment: a bad order and a software error.
Defective
According to a NASA update, the problem arose during the commissioning of the CAPSTONE satellite, which typically involves making contact with the satellite and checking its systems, among other procedures.
While trying to access diagnostic data to investigate a problem with CAPSTONE’s range data, an “incorrectly formatted command” was sent to the satellite, which rendered its radio inoperable, according to the update. .
The on-board error detection system was unable to fix and restart the radio, for which it was designed, due to a “failure of the spacecraft’s flight software.”
“And yet, the small spacecraft survived,” senior Ars Technica space editor Eric Berger tweeted in response to the news. “It’s hard not to take root for the little one.”
Flying solo
There are some positive conclusions from this brief mistake. Despite the delay, CAPSTONE’s autonomous flight software was able to fix things on its own and put the satellite back in touch, at which point the ground crew was able to regain control.
He also managed to keep his antenna pointed at the Earth all the time, while completing the battery charge by keeping his solar panels oriented. Pretty awesome!
The satellite to the moon represents a major step forward in NASA’s Artemis program, an ambitious program that aims to return humans to the lunar surface.
Assuming there is no other hiccup, the satellite will be the first spacecraft to make a special type of elliptical orbit around the Moon, laying the groundwork for NASA’s Gateway station at orbit of the Moon.
Learn more about CAPSTONE: Right now there is a NASA satellite pointing at the moon