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NASA’s latest small lunar probe is struggling with a propellant problem on its way to the moon.
The spacecraft, called Lunar Flashlight, was launched last month for a mission to search for water ice on the moon. The probe was also supposed to test a new “green” thruster during its four-month journey to the Moon, but its thrusters are having a problem, NASA announced on Thursday (January 12th).
“While the small satellite is largely healthy and communicating with NASA’s Deep Space Network, the mission operations team has discovered that three of its four thrusters are underperforming,” NASA wrote. in an update. (opens in a new tab). “Based on ground testing, the team believes the underperformance could be caused by obstructions in the fuel lines which may be limiting the flow of propellant to the thrusters.”
Related: NASA’s Lunar Waterhunting Flashlight Moon Cubes Explained
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the Lunar Flashlight probe to the Moon on December 11 alongside a Japanese lunar lander carrying a lunar rover built by the United Arab Emirates. NASA’s small satellite is designed to search for water ice at the Moon’s south pole, where NASA hopes to land astronauts in just a few years.
Lunar Flashlight flight controllers noticed problems with the probe’s propulsion system about three days after launch, when it became clear that it was moving under reduced thrust, NASA officials said. Now, mission engineers are coming up with new plans to fire the thrusters longer to complete Lunar Flashlight’s journey to the moon.
“The team plans to run the thrusters soon for much longer durations, hoping to clear any potential obstructions to the thrusters’ fuel line while performing course-correcting maneuvers that will keep the small satellite on track. on course to reach its planned orbit around the moon,” NASA wrote in Thursday’s update. “In the event that the propulsion system cannot be restored to full performance, the mission team is developing alternate plans to accomplish these maneuvers using the propulsion system with its current reduced thrust capability.”
It’s going to be a tough recovery for Lunar Flashlight, which is about the size of a briefcase. The spacecraft “will need to perform daily course correction maneuvers beginning in early February to reach lunar orbit in approximately four months,” NASA wrote. The spacecraft fires its thrusters in short pulses, each lasting a few seconds. It uses a pink fuel called Advanced Spacecraft Energetic Non-Toxic, which is designed to be less toxic than the hydrazine propellant in most spacecraft.
The Lunar Flashlight mission asks the probe to enter a wide looping orbit around the moon that will bring it within 15 kilometers of the surface at its closest point and send it up to 43,000 miles away (70,000 km) from the moon to its farthest point. (The orbit is similar to that currently being tested by NASA’s CAPSTONE probe and will be used by the agency’s Gateway station for astronauts in the future.)
From orbit, Lunar Flashlight will use four infrared lasers and a new type of laser reflectometer to search for surface ice in permanently shadowed craters in the moon’s south pole. The spacecraft is also testing a new low-powered flight computer called Sphinx, which is specially designed to be radiation tolerant in the harsh environment of space. Its new Iris radio should also test ultra-precise navigation systems for future small probes heading to other destinations in our solar system, NASA said.
Lunar Flashlight isn’t the only NASA lunar probe to have problems right after launch.
The CAPSTONE cubesat suffered its own misfortunes, losing contact with Earth shortly after separating from its Rocket Lab Electron booster in July. The probe also began tumbling through space after an engine burn in September. The mission operations team, led by Colorado-based company Advanced Space, was able to resolve both issues, allowing CAPSTONE to reach its final orbit in November.
Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik (opens in a new tab). follow us @Spacedotcom (opens in a new tab), Facebook (opens in a new tab) and instagram (opens in a new tab).
