Long-term loss of communication with NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer probe increases likelihood of loss

NASA said it is still unable to reestablish contact with the Lunar Trailblazer probe, which was launched into space on the same rocket as Intuitive Machines’ Athena lander. The Athena lander has already reached the moon’s orbit and is preparing to land on its surface today, while the Lunar Trailblazer orbiter lost contact 12 hours after its rocket lifted off.

Image source: Lockheed Martin

«The [NASA] team is currently working to identify alternative TCM [trajectory correction maneuver] strategies that could be used once communications are restored and the spacecraft is functioning normally, the agency said. “These alternative TCM strategies could place Lunar Trailblazer into lunar orbit and allow it to perform some of its science missions.”

Ideally, the probe would have already made two trajectory corrections on its way to the Moon. This would have allowed the craft to fly by the Moon on March 3. Another trajectory correction would have allowed the probe to fly by the Moon in May, so that in July it could enter a polar orbit – the goal of the entire mission. In polar orbit, the Lunar Trailblazer probe would have looked for signs of water in the area of ​​the moon’s south pole. To do this, it is equipped with two different instruments that could detect traces of water from the Moon’s orbit.

Communication with the probe was lost 12 hours after it was launched into space. Several hours later, communication was partially restored, but no telemetry was received from onboard. Ground observations and fragmentary data from the apparatus made it possible to determine that the probe was flying along its original trajectory and slowly rotating around its axis. Information was also received about problems with the power supply onboard.

As of today, the mission team has no control over the probe and cannot reconstruct the full picture of the malfunctions. The struggle for at least some restoration of the probe continues, but hopes of correcting the situation are fading with each passing day.

Let’s add that the Lunar Trailblazer probe was created by Lockheed Martin on order from NASA. The device was manufactured as part of a large-scale space commercialization program, during which NASA is trying to shift the production of spacecraft to private companies, removing the burden from federal programs. This is partly successful (see the story of the private module “Athena”), but not in all cases so far. There have also been many failures, including the mission with the Lunar Trailblazer probe.