Phobos-Grunt goes silent again
Posted: Sat, Nov 26, 2011, 8:40 AM ET (1340 GMT)
Contact with Phobos-Grunt, the Russian Mars mission stranded in Earth orbit for over two weeks, was lost again late this week. An ESA ground station near Perth, Australia, was able to establish a signal with the spacecraft on Wednesday and received limited telemetry from the spacecraft on Thursday. However, ESA said Friday that they were unable to establish contact with the spacecraft during several passes over that ground station on Friday. It may be until Monday before another attempt to contact the spacecraft will be made. Contact with Phobos-Grunt had been lost since shortly after its Zenit rocket placed the spacecraft into a temporary parking orbit on November 9. Two engine burns intended to place the spacecraft on a trajectory to Mars did no take place, and no signals had been received from the spacecraft until earlier this week. The spacecraft was to travel to Mars and land on one of its moons, Phobos, collecting samples to return to Earth.
Contact with Phobos-Grunt, the Russian Mars mission stranded in Earth orbit for over two weeks, was lost again late this week. An ESA ground station near Perth, Australia, was able to establish a signal with the spacecraft on Wednesday and received limited telemetry from the spacecraft on Thursday. However, ESA said Friday that they were unable to establish contact with the spacecraft during several passes over that ground station on Friday. It may be until Monday before another attempt to contact the spacecraft will be made. Contact with Phobos-Grunt had been lost since shortly after its Zenit rocket placed the spacecraft into a temporary parking orbit on November 9. Two engine burns intended to place the spacecraft on a trajectory to Mars did no take place, and no signals had been received from the spacecraft until earlier this week. The spacecraft was to travel to Mars and land on one of its moons, Phobos, collecting samples to return to Earth.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
SpaceX performs two Falcon 9 launches less than an hour apart
Posted: Sun, Aug 16 10:57 AM ET (1457 GMT) Virgin Galactic delays resumption of commercial flights to 2027
Posted: Sun, Aug 16 10:54 AM ET (1454 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Thursday, August 20
Firefly Aerospace Onboards Zeno Power on Blue Ghost Mission to Demonstrate Radioisotope Technologies to Survive the Lunar Night
Firefly Aerospace — 7:03 am ET (1103 GMT) Innospace terminates 1st rocket test flight as Sebit veers off course
Yonhap News — 7:02 am ET (1102 GMT) INNOSPACE's SEBIT Rocket Veers Off Course in Debut Test Flight
Seoul Economic Daily — 6:59 am ET (1059 GMT) Innospace shares plunge after South Korea's Sebit test ends early in Brazil
Chosun Ilbo — 6:59 am ET (1059 GMT) Satellite image shows huge crater at key Roscosmos plant in Samara
The New Voice of Ukraine — 6:57 am ET (1057 GMT) |
