Phobos-Grunt, Still Stuck in Orbit, Could Burn Up in the Atmosphere in January

The last article said this spacecraft could either be suffering hardware problems or software problems. Are they not suppose to have contact with the vehicle? Why are they trying to re-establish it?

If it were a software issue, they should be able to identify it by reviewing the code sequence to the programs governing the systems. This would in turn allow them to fix the glitch and initiate the trans-Martian insertion. Chances are this was a hardware issue that can not be fixed unless they send people up their to chase the thing and try and fix it manually (which we know won't happen).

I think that thing might be coming down in January. All $65 million of it.

example of why we really need a salvage craft(s) in orbit to help sort these sort of things out and also salvage the junk. Hope private sector gets there first.

How can russia expect to communicate with the probe @ Phobos if they cant even communicate here on earth :(

The Russians need to really step up they're game. They're really messing this Mars missions up really bad. I'd be disappointed to see this Satellite fall back down.

" Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind." Albert Einstein

Russia's Mars landings are like Americas Venus landings. They haven't figured the right combination yet, so its all down to trial and error, very costly errors in fact. If all weren't so greedy, NASA and Roscosmos could lend each other a hand. And not just by exchanging diplomats and papers, but by getting their Engineers to be able to cooperate directly. We know that the ISS as a cooperative Venture proves more than successfull. And one Nation alone is unlikely to share the glory of landing on another planet. Landing on another planet is not just one nations achievement, but would be an achievement of all human kind.

on the last article, it said that the batteries would run out in three days. its been a few weeks.

-Knock knock
-Who's there?
-The Doctor.
-Doctor Who?
-Yes

I was hoping that if the system could no longer go to Mars, the craft could at least partially be tested in LEO (I know, unlikely since trajectories, atmospheric conditions, etc. are all different) to teat the remaining systems deployment performance(s), but it looks like even that can't happen now. Too bad.

I was hoping that if the system could no longer go to Mars, the craft could at least partially be tested in LEO (I know, unlikely since trajectories, atmospheric conditions, etc. are all different) to test the remaining systems deployment performance(s), but it looks like even that can't happen now. Too bad.

@phoenix, oisilener1982
The problem is that ground stations are having a tough time tracking Phobos-Grunt because it's in such a low orbit. Their antennas simply can't move fast enough to track the satellite as it streaks across the sky (apparently). So their communication window is only 7 minutes per orbit. So it's been super difficult to get telemetry and upload new software in that short window.

@scientific anomaly
The satellite itself seems to be operating normally. Solar panels have deployed (which is why nobody's worried about the batteries anymore) and it's pointing at the sun as it should.

@pioneer10
They theoretically still could, but they'd have to get the boosters working to get the satellite out of its parking orbit... and if they can get the booster working soon enough, they might as well just send the craft to Mars.

It seems like the Russians did a great job with 65 million dollars... but their job wasn't perfect... and satellites have to be perfect.

@ suggestivesimon:

Thanks for the update, the Planetary Society website concurred w/ your entire post, there remains a possibility that the mission can still happen, so I'll keep my fingers crossed.