BEpiColombo Mercury mission suffers thruster problem
Posted: Sun, May 19, 2024, 7:55 AM ET (1155 GMT)
Engineers are troubleshooting a problem with the electric propulsion system on the BepiColombo mission. That spacecraft, a joint mission of ESA and JAXA, will go into orbit around Mercury after performing several flybys, using electric thrusters to adjust its trajectory. Those thrusters lost power last month just before the next scheduled maneuver. By last week the thrusters were back to 90% of their original power, but the spacecraft is still suffering from reduced electrical power. ESA said that BepiColombo should still be able to perform its next Mercury flyby in September as engineers work to determine how reduced power levels might affect future maneuvers if the problem cannot be fixed.
Engineers are troubleshooting a problem with the electric propulsion system on the BepiColombo mission. That spacecraft, a joint mission of ESA and JAXA, will go into orbit around Mercury after performing several flybys, using electric thrusters to adjust its trajectory. Those thrusters lost power last month just before the next scheduled maneuver. By last week the thrusters were back to 90% of their original power, but the spacecraft is still suffering from reduced electrical power. ESA said that BepiColombo should still be able to perform its next Mercury flyby in September as engineers work to determine how reduced power levels might affect future maneuvers if the problem cannot be fixed.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Wednesday, September 9
MTG-I2 reaches its final orbit
ESA — 3:06 am ET (0706 GMT) EU telcos close ranks against Starlink in bid for satellite spectrum – report
Light Reading — 3:04 am ET (0704 GMT) Spectrum allocation for satellite internet gets nod
The Times of India — 3:03 am ET (0703 GMT) Starlink launch in India imminent following satcom spectrum rules clearance
India Today — 3:03 am ET (0703 GMT) Rocket Lab Introduces High-Efficiency Solar Cell to Reduce Reliance on Supply-Constrained Critical Minerals
Rocket Lab — 3:03 am ET (0703 GMT) |
