Comments on: NASA’s newly launched Lunar Trailblazer orbiter having power and communications problems https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/nasas-newly-launched-lunar-trailblazer-orbiter-having-power-and-communications-problems/ Sat, 01 Mar 2025 18:34:31 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: Robert Zimmerman https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/nasas-newly-launched-lunar-trailblazer-orbiter-having-power-and-communications-problems/#comment-1559619 Sat, 01 Mar 2025 18:34:31 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=112488#comment-1559619 In reply to Richard M.

Richard M: I fixed the last blockquote tag, but I’m not sure if that was the only problem.

]]> By: Richard M https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/nasas-newly-launched-lunar-trailblazer-orbiter-having-power-and-communications-problems/#comment-1559614 Sat, 01 Mar 2025 18:27:40 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=112488#comment-1559614 Ack. Failed to close my tag properly. Just in case, let me try that now.

]]> By: Richard M https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/nasas-newly-launched-lunar-trailblazer-orbiter-having-power-and-communications-problems/#comment-1559612 Sat, 01 Mar 2025 18:26:35 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=112488#comment-1559612 So far as I can make out, there is no update so far today on Lunar Trailblazer, and that seems ominous. Looking at the Deep Space Network page, all I see so far is only uplink attempts and no downlink.

If it ends up as a bust, I think we may be at a point where NASA needs to review and reassess the whole SIMPLEx program.

As Svetoslav over at NSF put it quite well this morning:

My issue with SIMPLEx is the high percentage for spacecraft that are dead-on-arrival: don’t transmit at all or go silent very soon after launch. The first satellite Q-PACE never contacted the Earth. The second one LunaH-Map was a Peregrin-like failure – propulsion system failed, never went into orbit, but there was some still some useful data.

And now the third one appears to be a dead-on-arrival spacecraft.

.

]]> By: Richard M https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/nasas-newly-launched-lunar-trailblazer-orbiter-having-power-and-communications-problems/#comment-1559607 Sat, 01 Mar 2025 18:18:49 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=112488#comment-1559607 From IM-2’s mission update page:

3/1/25 | 0815 CT IM-2 Mission Update

Athena is approximately 152,104 km from the Moon and continues to be in excellent health. Last night, she sent a sequence of photos while using the stars to determine her position in space.

During transit, flight controllers checked on the Micro Nova Hopper, Grace, and verified she was in good health ahead of a challenging mission into a lunar crater.
https://www.intuitivemachines.com/im-2

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They also did a trajectory correction maneuver last night.

]]> By: Robert Zimmerman https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/nasas-newly-launched-lunar-trailblazer-orbiter-having-power-and-communications-problems/#comment-1559583 Sat, 01 Mar 2025 16:54:15 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=112488#comment-1559583 In reply to Joe.

Joe: Hardly a slight correction. Too many landers by too many companies for my poor brain. Now fixed. Thanks.

]]> By: Joe https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/nasas-newly-launched-lunar-trailblazer-orbiter-having-power-and-communications-problems/#comment-1559568 Sat, 01 Mar 2025 16:32:32 +0000 https://behindtheblack.com/?p=112488#comment-1559568 Just a slight correction. Firefly has Blue Ghost. Intuitive Machines launched Athena. IT seems a lot of the payloads with IM’s lander are having issues.

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