NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer probe, launched just two days ago, has suffered a glitch on its way to the moon. The probe was designed to orbit low over the lunar surface and hunt for water in permanently shadowed regions. After launching atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, it initially powered up and transmitted data but experienced power issues, leading to lost communication with NASA.
Mission operators reestablished contact with the spacecraft hours later, but are still working to resolve the issue. The probe carries two sophisticated instruments: the Lunar Thermal Mapper (LTM) and the High-resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper (HVM3). These instruments aim to map mineral distribution on the lunar surface and measure the chemical “fingerprints” of water.
Finding water on the moon is crucial for NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to establish a sustainable human presence on the moon. Recent missions have found evidence of water in permanently shadowed craters near the lunar south pole, where NASA plans to land astronauts with its Artemis 3 mission.
Another probe launched alongside Lunar Trailblazer, Odin from private company Astroforge, has yet to make contact and its mission controllers are uncertain about its state. The issue highlights the challenges of space exploration and the need for continued development and testing of spacecraft systems.
Source: https://www.space.com/nasa-lunar-trailblazer-moon-probe-not-responding