NASA spacecraft suffers thruster issue on journey to the Moon

NASA's Lunar Flashlight mission is suffering an issue on its journey to the Moon and the team is working to provide possible solutions. The briefcase-size spacecraft is largely healthy, but three of its four thrusters are underperforming, the agency said on Thursday.

The mission began its four-month voyage to the Moon on December 11, 2022, where the tiny satellite will test a variety of new technologies, with the aim of searching for ice deposits on the Moon's South Pole. It is the first planetary CubeSat mission to utilize green propulsion, a propellant that is less hazardous and more secure than the usual hydrazine propellant used by spacecraft.

The mission team thinks that the underperformance could be due to blockages in the fuel lines, which could be restricting the propellant from reaching the thrusters.

The team now aims to run the thrusters for extended periods of time in order to eliminate any blockages in the thruster fuel lines while executing trajectory correction maneuvers to keep the SmallSat on track to its intended lunar orbit. If the propulsion system is unable to be restored to its full capacity, the mission team is creating alternative plans to complete the maneuvers with the current reduced-thrust capability.

According to NASA, Lunar Flashlight will have to perform daily trajectory correction maneuvers beginning in early February to reach lunar orbit in approximately four months.

One of the primary goals of NASA's Lunar Flashlight mission is to demonstrate the use of Advanced Spacecraft Energetic Non-Toxic (ASCENT) propellant, which is safer to transport and store than traditional propellants such as hydrazine, for future applications.