What was the launch date of the Japanese space probe PROCYON?
The Japanese space probe PROCYON launched into space on the 3rd of December 2014. It was a 70-kilogram spacecraft designed as a low-cost experiment in deep space navigation.
Common questions about Procyon
Short answers, pulled from the story.
How did the ion engine failure affect the PROCYON mission timeline?
The ion engine failed on the 10th of March 2015 and could not be restarted. This malfunction prevented the spacecraft from reaching its intended target asteroid after flying past Earth on the 3rd of December 2015.
What scientific milestone did the PROCYON spacecraft achieve despite its failure?
The spacecraft captured the first complete image of the geocorona, the cloud of hydrogen atoms surrounding Earth. This observation confirmed that the geocorona possesses north-south symmetry using a Lyman-alpha imaging camera.
What was the purpose of the telescope onboard the PROCYON spacecraft?
A small telescope onboard the spacecraft was tasked with near-asteroid navigation and data acquisition. It was designed to take images of the target asteroid to guide the spacecraft to within 30 kilometers of the surface.
How much xenon gas did the PROCYON spacecraft carry at launch?
The spacecraft carried 2.5 kilograms of xenon gas at launch. This shared reservoir fed both the main ion engine and eight attitude control cold-gas thrusters.