WASHINGTON (AP) — NASA said Wednesday that contact has been restored with its $32.7 million spacecraft headed to the moon to test a warped lunar orbit.
Contact was lost after one successful communication and a second partial one on Monday after the spacecraft left Earth’s orbit on its way to the moon, the space agency said.
The spacecraft spent almost a week circling the globe after launching from New Zealand on June 28.
According to NASA, the data shows that “the spacecraft was in good health and operated safely on its own until it was in contact with Earth.” The cause of the communications outage is under investigation.
The 55-pound satellite is about the size of a microwave oven and will be the first spacecraft to test this oval orbit, where NASA wants to place its Gateway outpost. Gateway will serve as a starting point for astronauts before landing on the lunar surface.
The orbit balances the gravity of the Earth and the Moon and therefore requires little maneuvering and therefore fuel and allows the satellite – or space station – to remain in constant contact with Earth.
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