This artists principle shows the IBEX spacecraft between Earth and the heliosphere. Credit: NASA
To take the spacecraft out of contingency mode, the mission team performed a firecode reset (which is an external reset of the spacecraft) rather of waiting for the spacecraft to perform a self-governing reset and power cycle on March 4. The decision took benefit of a favorable communications environment around IBEXs perigee– the point in the spacecrafts orbit where it is closest to Earth.
After the firecode reset, command ability was brought back. IBEX telemetry reveals that the spacecraft is completely functional and working normally.
Launched on October 19, 2008, IBEX is an area objective developed to study the interaction in between the interstellar medium and the solar wind, which is the gas, dust, and cosmic rays that exist in the area between stars. IBEX, a spacecraft about the size of a bus tire, utilizes a suite of instruments to determine energetic neutral atoms that are developed at the border in between the interstellar medium and the solar wind.
Back on February 18, IBEX experienced a flight computer reset during an organized contact and the spacecraft went into contingency mode. While battle computer resets have taken place previously, this time the team lost the capability to command the spacecraft during the subsequent reset healing. IBEX, a spacecraft about the size of a bus tire, utilizes a suite of instruments to measure energetic neutral atoms that are produced at the boundary in between the solar wind and the interstellar medium.
This artists principle shows the IBEX spacecraft. Credit: NASA
NASAs Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) is fully functional after the objective group effectively reset the spacecraft on March 2.
Back on February 18, IBEX experienced a flight computer reset during an organized contact and the spacecraft entered into contingency mode. While fight computer system resets have actually occurred previously, this time the group lost the ability to command the spacecraft during the subsequent reset healing. The group likewise was not successful in restoring command capability by resetting ground systems software and hardware.
Flight software application still was running, and the spacecraft systems seemed functional. While uplink signals are reaching the spacecraft, commands were not processing.
By Denise Hill, NASA
March 7, 2023