NASA Struggles to Reestablish Contact with Lunar Trailblazer Moon Orbiter

The spacecraft, part of NASA's low-cost SIMPLEx program, faces significant challenges due to power issues and loss of communication shortly after launch.

• Lunar Trailblazer, launched on February 26 as a secondary payload on a Falcon 9 rocket, lost communication less than 12 hours after liftoff.
• NASA believes the spacecraft is spinning slowly in a low-power state, preventing it from charging effectively via its solar panels or performing trajectory correction maneuvers.
• The mission was intended to study the form, distribution, and quantity of water on the Moon, but it is now unlikely to achieve its planned lunar orbit and full science objectives.
• NASA teams are exploring alternative strategies to achieve partial mission objectives if communication is restored, though prospects remain uncertain.
• The incident highlights recurring challenges with NASA's SIMPLEx program, which aims to develop low-cost planetary science missions but has faced multiple setbacks in recent years.

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