A scientific journal revealed that there is a serious problem facing one of the satellites launched by NASA to carry out a mission to the moon.
On December 11, 2022, NASA launched a mission to the moon to begin its four-month journey, during which the small satellite “smallsat” will be tested, reports Al-Rai daily.
Several new technologies will be tested with the aim of searching for hidden surface ice in the lunar south pole.
The team first noticed the thrust drop three days after launch, and worked to analyze the problem and offer possible solutions during its flight. The satellite’s propulsion system relies on the release of short “jets” of pulses of up to two seconds at a time.
Based on the ground test, the team believes that the poor performance could be caused by obstructions in the fuel lines that could limit fuel flow to the propulsion systems.
According to science magazine ‘scitechdaily’, (SciTechDaily – Space, Science and Technology News 2023) the team plans to operate the propulsion system soon for much longer periods, hoping to clear any potential obstructions in the propellant line while performing course correction maneuvers.
The mission team is developing alternative plans to accomplish these maneuvers using the propulsion system with its current low-thrust capacity, and the satellite will need to perform course correction maneuvers daily, starting in early February, to reach the moon’s orbit about four months from now.
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