CAPSTONE Update 15 September 2022

The CAPSTONE team continues work on recovery efforts. The primary ongoing focus now is to heat the spacecraft’s propulsion system, which dropped below its operational temperature limit following the initial issue that put the spacecraft into safe mode on Sept. 8. 

Over the past few days, CAPSTONE’s power – though limited by the orientation of the spacecraft in its spin relative to the Sun – appears to be sufficient for heating of the propulsion system. Once the spacecraft propulsion system temperature has been at 41° F (5° C) for at least 12 hours, the team will further evaluate the system for use in the recovery operation. 

Communications with the spacecraft have also improved, providing mission teams with more data from the spacecraft. Teams are evaluating the data to determine the cause of the issue and design recovery procedures to avoid similar problems during the attempted recovery operation.   

Read the full update from Advanced Space, which owns CAPSTONE on behalf of NASA. Additional updates will be provided as available.