Asteroid probe thought to be tumbling in space; CEO vows to try again
AstroForge founder and CEO Matt Gialich provided an update on the status of the Odin spacecraft via social media on Saturday.
The 265-pound asteroid surveyor was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Nasa's Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, with its destination set for the asteroid known as 2022 OB5, but communication issues arose less than 24 hours after liftoff.
"I want to remind everybody this was a test mission. It was built in ten months at an accelerated pace. The point of this mission was to learn, and I think we've learned a lot," Gialich said during the briefing.
The Odin spacecraft was designated for a flyby mission, with future spacecraft planned to actually land on the asteroid and mine for materials.
Future Of Nasa's Mega Moon Rocket Appears In Doubt Following Major Boeing Announcement
It was not stated whether the issues encountered by Odin would affect a planned landing in as early as 2026, but the CEO didn't entirely rule out the possibility of reestablishing communications with the spacecraft.
"We're going to keep our heads up. We're going to keep trying over the weekend, and we'll see how far we get," Gialich stated.
The spacecraft is believed to be nearly 200,000 miles away from Earth and is generating power from its solar panels.
"I want to tell you guys everything - the errors we made, the issues we had, all the problems we encountered, and everything that went wrong. Because I think, as a team and as a company, and as humans, that's how we get better at these missions," Gialich stated.
See The Objects Humans Left Behind On The Moon
AstroForge's mission has largely flown under the radar of news headlines as several lunar landers are en route to the Moon's surface, which have garnered the attention of space watchers.Firefly Aerospace is scheduled to attempt its first-ever moon landing on Sunday with its Blue Ghost lander, while Intuitive Machines will attempt its landing with IM-2 on March 6.Intuitive Machines' spacecraft was launched on the same Falcon 9 rocket as AstroForge's Odin, but, unlike the asteroid surveyor, the lunar lander has not reported any significant technical problems that would prevent a landing attempt.Original article source: Asteroid probe thought to be tumbling in space; CEO vows to try again
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Engadget
26 minutes ago
- Engadget
Webb telescope spots a new moon orbiting Uranus
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) continues to bear fruit. Images captured by the floating watchtower revealed a previously unknown moon orbiting Uranus. The discovery, made on February 2, increases the planet's moon tally to 29. The moon was easy to miss: It's only an estimated six miles wide. It's located about 35,000 miles from Uranus' center, orbiting the planet's equatorial plane. The moon has a nearly circular orbit, suggesting it could have formed near its current location. NASA's short video below shows the faint speck orbiting its ringed host. The new moon joins 13 other small moons in Uranus' orbit. The planet also has five major moons (Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania and Oberon) and 10 irregular ones. The new moon won't have a name until one is approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). It was detected using 10 40-minute long-exposure images taken by Webb's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam). A team led by the Southwest Research Institute pored through the telescope's images to identify it. "No other planet has as many small inner moons as Uranus, and their complex inter-relationships with the rings hint at a chaotic history that blurs the boundary between a ring system and a system of moons,' Matthew Tiscareno of the SETI Institute wrote. 'Moreover, the new moon is smaller and much fainter than the smallest of the previously known inner moons, making it likely that even more complexity remains to be discovered.'
Washington Post
40 minutes ago
- Washington Post
NASA's Webb telescope finds a new tiny moon around Uranus
NEW YORK — The Webb Space Telescope has spotted a new tiny moon orbiting Uranus . The new member of the lunar gang , announced Tuesday by NASA, appears to be just six miles (10 kilometers) wide. It was spotted by the telescope's near-infrared camera during observations in February.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Mark Rober, kid-friendly engineer, to experiment with new Netflix show
Former NASA engineer Mark Rober, who has a huge following among children, is headed to Netflix to share his experiments and host a competition show in 2026. Netflix announced the plans on Monday, Aug. 18. Rober is the leader of CrunchLabs, a team of engineers and creators based in Northern California. He has over 70 million subscribers on YouTube and over 11 million followers on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook combined. His past experiments include one that tested the limits and reaction times of self-driving cars and another in which he built a roller coaster in his lab. His high-energy videos include nods to characters popular among kids, such as Phineas from Disney's "Phineas and Ferb." In one video he shared in June, he reached out to Phineas to ask for help throwing a birthday party for a kid named Ethan. "I can explain later," Rober said, video chatting with the animated character Phineas. "For now, I need to know if you've got any ideas." In addition to being a former NASA engineer, Netflix said, Rober is also a social media star, teacher, inventor and philanthropist. Engineer's lab will produce the competition show airing in 2026 Rober's lab, CrunchLabs, will produce his new kids and family competition show, along with Jimmy Kimmel's production company, Kimmelot. 'I love turning learning into a game, basically hiding the vegetables in the dessert, and now it's a full-on competition game show!' Rober said in the news release. 'When you're having fun, you're learning without even realizing it. And teaming up with Netflix and Jimmy Kimmel to make this happen? This is gonna be epic!' Kimmel, whose company is co-producing the show, said he's excited as well. 'My kids love Mark Rober, and so do their parents,' said Kimmel, who has had Rober on his show before. 'Mark's videos are so clever and inventive, it's easy to forget that they're educational, too. We can't wait to introduce one of the best and brightest creators to Netflix.' More news: You can catch Mercury's big light show. It's called the greatest elongation. Engineer's 'storytelling is infectious,' Netflix executive says Rober worked for NASA for nine years, Netflix said. He first went viral in 2011 with his Halloween costume made of two iPads. He used the iPads to make it look like he had a hole in his torso, Netflix said. Other experiments of his include glitter-bombing porch pirates or making boxes they steal explode with glitter when they open them. He's also created a pool of Jell-O and done an experiment that involved tossing an unhittable baseball. His lab also offers science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subscriptions that help kids, teens and adults do hands-on experiments, think critically, and create like engineers, Netflix said. John Derderian, Vice President of Series, Animation, Kids and Family at Netflix, said in the news release that his kids like the subscription boxes and Rober's work. 'His storytelling is infectious,' Derderian said in the release. 'When my son and daughter spot a new Build Box at our doorstep, we know that an amazing adventure awaits!' Rober shares his experiments on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram. Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@
