WASHINGTON (AP) – NASA said Wednesday it has re-established contact with its $ 32.7 million spacecraft aimed at the moon to test a balanced lunar orbit.
Contact was lost after a successful communication and a partial second Monday, after the spacecraft left Earth’s orbit on its way to the moon, the space agency said.
The spacecraft spent almost a week circling the world after launching from New Zealand on 28 June.
According to NASA, the data show that “the spacecraft is in good health and operating safely on its own while it was out of contact with Earth.” The cause of the falling communications is being investigated.
The 55-pound satellite is the size of a microwave oven and will be the first spacecraft to test this oval orbit, which is where NASA wants to put its Advanced Gateway site. The gateway would serve as a meeting point for astronauts before descending to the lunar surface.
The orbit balances the gravities of the Earth and the Moon and therefore requires few maneuvers and therefore fuel and allows the satellite, or a space station, to remain in constant contact with the Earth.
TO SHARE: