NASA has given up on its troubled Lunar Trailblazer moon orbiter after it failed to reestablish contact following a launch in February 2025. The $94 million mission aimed to map the moon’s water stores from orbit but was lost due to a solar array issue that caused the batteries to deplete.
The spacecraft drifted far beyond the moon, and despite efforts by NASA and international scientists, contact was not regained. The team worked for months to reestablish communication, with models suggesting that the solar panels might charge the spacecraft’s batteries and turn on its radio.
Lunar Trailblazer shared its launch ride with Athena, a robotic moon lander that also experienced problems during its surface mission. NASA has learned valuable lessons from the Lunar Trailblazer mission, which will help improve the success of future small satellites in innovative science missions to the moon.
Source: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/missions/nasa-declares-troubled-lunar-trailblazer-moon-orbiter-dead