Mark Megahan
The CAPSTONE moon probe is in serious trouble. The good news is that they still have some time to get it fixed. The bad news is that they might not be able to fix it. September has not been a good month for NASA. After the Artemis launch had to be scrubbed, then scrubbed again, it’s starting to look like quality control is slipping.
CAPSTONE in critical condition
The CAPSTONE probe is in critical condition, NASA engineers say. It’s barely holding on to life in an induced coma and tumbling out of control. Everyone at the lab is holding their breath and keeping their fingers crossed. Once the batteries recharge they might be able to fix it. Maybe.
Meanwhile, they hope to get “Artemis 1 off the ground, which is arguably the most important milestone in its quest to return humankind to the lunar surface.”
CAPSTONE is a preliminary phase of the Artemis Program. The Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment blasted off back in June aboard an Electron rocket, built by Rocket Lab.
NASA struggles to regain control of its $30 million Capstone spacecraft after mid-flight maneuver sends it 'tumbling' https://t.co/7iYPBmNPzB
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) September 14, 2022
“Everything seemed to be going by the book for the first few months of the mission,” ExtremeTech writes.
After “an unremarkable launch,” CAPSTONE “completed the first two of six total course corrections in July.”
Flying to the moon is never a straight line. The craft “needs to loop out almost a million miles (1.53 million kilometers) from Earth before spiraling inward to the moon. It reached apogee (its furthest point) late last month.” So far, so good. The “cubesat” design is about the size and shape of a CPU tower.
An uncontrolled tumble
There aren’t any Tardigrades or other living critters on this lunar probe but if there were, they would not be happy. They may be indestructible but they would be awfully dizzy.
“According to Advanced Space, which is managing CAPSTONE for NASA, the probe entered an uncontrolled tumble following the third maneuver, and the rate of spin exceeds what can be countered by the tiny spacecraft’s reaction wheels.” The worst part was that ET wasn’t phoning home. “NASA was unable to contact the probe for about 24 hours.”
They kept thumping the case and jiggling the wires until they re-established communication. “The team found the spin had left the solar panels unable to effectively charge the battery.” That wasn’t good.
“It was using more power than it could generate, putting the fate of the mission in immediate peril.” That wasn’t a good day at CAPSTONE control. “Luckily, the team was able to stabilize the spacecraft using the Deep Space Network, a collective term for the transmitters on NASA’s interplanetary missions.”
Engineers lay awake at night staring at the ceiling trying to figure out what to do next. “Currently, CAPSTONE is still tumbling, but it’s in safe mode, and the solar panels are slowly but surely refilling the batteries.” They were relieved to know that “the cubesat completed its third course correction, meaning it is on track for another nudge in October.”
When they do get to sleep, they wake up screaming because “the success of that maneuver will depend on how the recovery team fares.” The first step is figuring out how to “detumble” the craft. “NASA notes that there are still significant risks.“
