Russia’s first planetary science mission in the 21st century is ambitious enough — land a probe on Mars moon Phobos, take a soil sample (‘Grunt’ is Russian for ‘soil’), and return it to Earth. After a fully successful launch the spacecraft entered its first orbit, and rather than burn its own thrusters to put it on course to Phobos, it stopped.
Controllers are as yet unsure why the thrusters have not fired. As the solar panels were not meant to deploy until the burn was finished, they have not deployed — and the spacecraft is down to battiers with three days of power. Without power, it cannot run its flight control computers. Without the computers, any hope of a successful mission fades.
Reports are a bit confusing, as Roscosmos is not in the habit of continually briefing reports. Follow Russia space expert Anatoly Zak’s updates and the relevant NASASpaceFlight thread for informed commentary.
