More NASA Spacecraft Go Silent, Leaving Mission Control in the Dark

NASA is having trouble locating two of its spacecraft. One of the TRACERS spacecraft has lost contact with the ground. The Athena EPICS satellite is also silent because it failed to send a key beacon signal.

Both satellites launched on July 23 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Since then, their operators have not been able to reach them.

TRACERS SV1 (Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites) is one of two satellites meant to study how the Sun interacts with Earth’s magnetosphere. On July 25, SV1 experienced a power subsystem problem. That issue disrupted its communication link. Engineers believe the problem may be due to a lack of sunlight reaching the solar panels.

They expect sunlight levels to improve after mid-August. If that happens, they hope to restore contact and begin diagnosing the issue.

The second TRACERS spacecraft, known as Space Vehicle 2 (SV2), is in good condition. Its team has started the commissioning process.

Both TRACERS satellites are about the size of washing machines. They orbit over Earth’s poles, usually separated by two minutes. At times, they can fly just 10 seconds apart. Their orbit is low, about 360 miles above the Earth.