As noted by NASA, the Lucy solar array was designed with both main and backup windings
Both engines will start on the spacecraftat the same time to create more powerful torque than what was used on launch day. The researchers conducted preliminary ground tests and showed that such an impact should be enough to pull out the remaining cable that prevents the solar panel from fixing.
The Lucy spacecraft was launched on October 162021. Its main mission is to study the Trojan asteroids orbiting the Sun along with Jupiter. This probe is powered by two large arrays of solar cells, which are deployed and fixed after launch. But when opening one of the fan-shaped arrays, there was a failure that did not allow it to fully open.
NASA investigated the behavior of the device in flight,conducted ground tests and concluded that the solar array is almost completely open (approximately 345 ° out of a full 360 °) and produces enough energy for the spacecraft. However, engineers fear that if everything is left as it is, when the main engine is fully started, some of the elements may be damaged.
NASA team plans to complete disclosuresolar panels in two stages. On May 9, an attempt will be made to pull out most of the remaining cable. After that, scientists plan to look at the behavior of the spacecraft, and in a month, if everything goes according to plan, pull out the rest of the cable and fix the panel.
Cover photo: NASA
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