spacetoday.net: Phobos-Grunt goes silent again

Posted: Sat, Nov 26, 2011, 8:40 AM ET (1340 GMT)
Phobos-Grunt illustration (Roscosmos)

Contact with Phobos-Grunt, the Russian Mars mission stranded in Earth orbit for over two weeks, was lost again late this week. An ESA ground station near Perth, Australia, was able to establish a signal with the spacecraft on Wednesday and received limited telemetry from the spacecraft on Thursday. However, ESA said Friday that they were unable to establish contact with the spacecraft during several passes over that ground station on Friday. It may be until Monday before another attempt to contact the spacecraft will be made. Contact with Phobos-Grunt had been lost since shortly after its Zenit rocket placed the spacecraft into a temporary parking orbit on November 9. Two engine burns intended to place the spacecraft on a trajectory to Mars did no take place, and no signals had been received from the spacecraft until earlier this week. The spacecraft was to travel to Mars and land on one of its moons, Phobos, collecting samples to return to Earth.