Two space agencies are dealing with post-deployment issues that might impact their missions. NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer, a Moon-bound spacecraft, and AstroForge’s Odin, an asteroid flyby mission, have both encountered communication problems.
Odin was the first of three rideshare payloads to deploy from the Falcon 9 rocket on February 26. However, it has been experiencing intermittent communication issues since then. The company behind Odin, AstroForge, had streamed its mission control center live before launch, aiming to increase transparency in space exploration.
AstroForge CEO Matt Gialich provided an update during the stream, stating that Odin appears to be power-positive and uplinking signals are working. However, there are lingering questions about the spacecraft’s attitude or positioning. The team suspects a slow, uncontrolled tumble but believes theory number one – all issues being on the ground – is more likely.
Meanwhile, NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer has also experienced communication issues after separating from the Falcon 9 upper stage. Power system issues were detected shortly after launch, and communication was lost about 12 hours later. The team is working to reestablish telemetry and commanding.
The Lunar Trailblazer mission was shifted to the IM-2 launch after its original schedule was pushed back. It aims to map water on the Moon’s surface during a series of passes. Both missions face challenges due to their higher risk posture as part of NASA’s Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration program, which offers lower costs but also more stringent requirements.
The asteroid target for Odin is designated “2022 OB5,” a metal-rich M-class asteroid believed to have high concentrations of platinum-group metals. This class of asteroid is crucial for mining, and AstroForge aims to sell material on Earth to meet market demand.
Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2025/02/28/nasas-lunar-trailblazer-astroforges-odin-face-post-deployment-challenges