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The image of an artist of Lunar Trailblazer at work around the moon. The small probe never came there and NASA declared it dead on July 31, 2025. | Credit: Lockheed Martin Space/Lunar Trailblazer
NASA has finally given up Lunar Trailblazer.
The 440 pound (200 kilograms) Moon Orbiter went dark On February 27, 2025 a day thereafter launched on top one Spacex Falcon 9 Rocket. Nasa then continued to try to greet the probe, but finally threw in the towel last week.
“Although it was not the result we had hoped for, such as mission experiences such as Lunar Trailblazer Help us to learn and reduce the risk of future, cheap small satellites to do innovative science while we prepare for a continuing human presence on the moon“Nicky Fox, associated manager of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said in one Statement on Monday (August 4). “Thanks to the Lunar Trailblazer team for their dedication when working on and learning this mission to the end.”
The $ 94 million Lunar Trailblazer mission was aimed at mapping the moon’s water shops from a job, which would make NASA a better understanding of the location and accessibility of this precious resource prior to the future Artemis Missions to the nearest neighbor of the earth. But the orbiter has never had the chance to do this work.
The Mission Team lost contact with Lunar Trailblazer on 27 February sun As planned, officials from the desk said. This ensured that the Lunar Trailblazer batteries exhaust.
The team worked for months to restore contact, with the help of scientists and organizations around the world.
“While Lunar Trailblazer drove far beyond the moon, our models showed that the solar panels may receive more sunlight, perhaps those who charge the batteries of the spacecraft for a point that it could put on his radio,” said Andrew Kleesh, Lunar Trailblazer’s Project Systems Engineer at Nasa’s Jet Propulse, said in the Propulse,, in Statement.
“The support of the global community helped us to better understand the spider, wise and trajectory of the spacecraft. In the exploration of the space, collaboration is of crucial importance – this gave us the best chance to try to get the contact back,” Kleesh added.
However, these efforts did not come back to bring Lunar Trailblazer back, and NASA officially ended the mission on July 31, said officials of the office in Monday’s statement.
Related stories:
– SpaceX Rocket launches Private Moon Lander and NASA ‘Trailblazer’ to hunt on Lunar Water (video)
– 1st map of lunar water can help Artemis Astronauts to live with the South Pole Lunar
– Can Nasa’s Artemis Moon -Missions count on the use of Lunar Water ICE?
Lunar Trailblazer shared his Falcon 9 Rocket Ride With Athena, the second robot -like Moonlander built by the company based in Texas Intuitive machines.
Athena also had problems. The lander touched the South Pole of the Moon as planned in March overwilled Shortly thereafter, the planned 10-day surface emission brings to a premature end.
