Friday, April 15, 06:06 JAXA: Harmful rotation damaged satellite
Japan's space agency says its troubled astronomy satellite may have damaged itself by spinning when it should not have. This was caused by a malfunction in the posture control system.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, launched the satellite, Hitomi, into Earth orbit in February. It was expected to become a new tool for scientists to observe the far-reaching universe through X-rays.
But in late March it stopped sending signals to ground control, and telescope images found the probe spinning, with some parts apparently breaking off.
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A US military organization monitoring space debris predicts 2 objects, likely from the satellite, will enter the Earth's atmosphere by May 10th. JAXA says they will burn out in the air and have no effect on the ground.
Japan's space agency says its troubled astronomy satellite may have damaged itself by spinning when it should not have. This was caused by a malfunction in the posture control system.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, launched the satellite, Hitomi, into Earth orbit in February. It was expected to become a new tool for scientists to observe the far-reaching universe through X-rays.
But in late March it stopped sending signals to ground control, and telescope images found the probe spinning, with some parts apparently breaking off.
...
A US military organization monitoring space debris predicts 2 objects, likely from the satellite, will enter the Earth's atmosphere by May 10th. JAXA says they will burn out in the air and have no effect on the ground.
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