Dawn mission declared over
Posted: Sun, Nov 4, 2018, 8:58 AM ET (1358 GMT)
NASA announced Thursday that the Dawn mission to the asteroid belt has come to an end. The agency said the spacecraft failed to make contact with the Earth as planned Wednesday and Thursday, leading controllers to conclude that the spacecraft had run out of hydrazine fuel needed for attitude control. Dawn was running low on hydrazine and mission officials expected it to run out of fuel this fall. Dawn launched in 2007 and went into orbit around Vesta, and later Ceres, where the spacecraft remains today. The end of Dawn comes two days after NASA announced the end of Kepler spacecraft operations, also because it ran out of fuel.
NASA announced Thursday that the Dawn mission to the asteroid belt has come to an end. The agency said the spacecraft failed to make contact with the Earth as planned Wednesday and Thursday, leading controllers to conclude that the spacecraft had run out of hydrazine fuel needed for attitude control. Dawn was running low on hydrazine and mission officials expected it to run out of fuel this fall. Dawn launched in 2007 and went into orbit around Vesta, and later Ceres, where the spacecraft remains today. The end of Dawn comes two days after NASA announced the end of Kepler spacecraft operations, also because it ran out of fuel.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Tuesday, March 17
INNOSPACE Identifies Cause of HANBIT-Nano Mission Termination Through Joint Investigation with Brazil’s CENIPA
INNOspace — 5:27 am ET (0927 GMT) ESA-enabled helical antenna innovations boost space-based connectivity
ESA — 5:27 am ET (0927 GMT) Innospace Identifies Gas Leak as Cause of Aborted Launch
Chosun Ilbo — 5:24 am ET (0924 GMT) Canada Leases Space Port in Bid to Break Reliance on US Rockets Like Musk’s SpaceX
Bloomberg News — 5:22 am ET (0922 GMT) 'Big Short' investor Michael Burry flags criticism of proposed rule change to fast-track SpaceX joining the Nasdaq
Business Insider — 5:21 am ET (0921 GMT) |
