NASA is investigating what went wrong with the solar array aboard Lucy, its spacecraft launched recently to visit Trojan asteroids. But the space agency says the spacecraft is healthy and is moving on the correct trajectory.
Lucy took off on October 16, and the launch went successfully without any hiccups. However, after a few hours of the liftoff, there was a problem when Lucy deployed its 24-feet-wide solar arrays. One array worked as planned, while the other failed to lock into place.
Lucy moving forward in cruise mode
Since then, engineers have been working to determine the issue. The solar arrays are so big that they have to be folded up for the launch in order to fit into the rocket. They are designed to unfurl once the spacecraft is in space. However, for unknown reasons, one of the arrays was only partially unfurled.
Fortunately, the array can still collect solar power. NASA says the array is “generating nearly the expected power” and that the combined power of both arrays “is enough to keep the spacecraft healthy and functioning.”
The spacecraft had been in safe mode while the issue was investigated, but on October 20, Lucy went into cruise mode successfully. It means the spacecraft will be making more autonomous adjustments as it moves forward, and it is operating as expected so far.
Spacecraft working as expected
“The spacecraft remains stable, power positive, with all other subsystems working, with the exception of one solar array,” NASA wrote.
“NASA is reviewing spacecraft data, including using techniques to measure how much electric current is produced by the array during various spacecraft positions and attitudes. This will allow the team to understand how close the array is to the latched position. These techniques are well within the capabilities of the system and pose no risk. Any plans for re-deployment will be considered after completing this latest assessment,” the update added.
Besides, NASA has announced it will be launching the unscrewed Artemis I mission to the Moon in February 2022. The space agency finished stacking its Orion spacecraft on the Space Launch System recently.
