NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer is experiencing issues after its launch earlier this week. Trailblazer launched on February 26 aboard Falcon 9 from LC-39A at KSC.

The spacecraft successfully established initial communications with mission operators at Caltech’s IPAC in Pasadena, California, at 8:13 PM EST, but telemetry data soon revealed intermittent power problems with Lunar Trailblazer.

By early Thursday morning, around 4:30 AM EST, the team lost contact with the satellite. However, several hours later, Lunar Trailblazer’s transmitter powered back on, and engineers are now working with NASA ground stations to restore full communication. Efforts are focused on assessing the spacecraft’s power issues and identifying potential solutions.

Lunar Trailblazer was developed as part of NASA’s SIMPLEx (Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration) program, which funds low-cost, high-risk science missions. The initiative allows small spacecraft to hitch a ride alongside larger primary missions, enabling innovative research while accepting a higher level of operational risk.

Weighing a mere 440 pounds and measuring 11.5 feet wide with its solar panels fully deployed, Lunar Trailblazer is about the size of a dishwasher and relies on a relatively small propulsion system to travel cislunar space to lunar orbit. It is employing a low-energy transfer to save weight and to simplify the propulsion system aboard the spacecraft.