NASA Experiences Power Outage, Disrupting ISS Communication

A power outage in NASA caused communication disruption between mission control and International Space Station. This forced the space agency to rely on backup control systems for the first time.

Experiencing Power Outage

NASA experienced a power outage on Tuesday, resulting in a disruption of communication between Mission Control and the International Space Station (ISS). As a consequence, 13ABC reported that Mission Control was unable to send commands to the orbiting station or communicate with the seven astronauts onboard.

The power outage coincided with ongoing upgrade work at Houston's Johnson Space Center, causing the need for contingency measures to maintain communication with the ISS. According to space station program manager Joel Montalbano, there was no danger posed to the astronauts or the station during the power outage.

"We knew this work was going on, and in preparation for that we have the backup command and control system that we would use if we have to close the center for a weather emergency, especially important during the hurricane season," he said.

Using Backup Systems for the First Time

NASA had to activate its backup systems for the first time in history to take control amid the power outage. According to a report from The Guardian, he is hoping that NASA soonly addresses the issue promptly and restore normal operations by the end of the day.

Backup control systems swiftly assumed control within 90 minutes. The crew was promptly informed of the issue via Russian communication systems within just 20 minutes of the outage. Montalbano added that this becomes the first time NASA had to utilize backup systems to take control.

Despite the tensions between the US and Russia on Earth, their space agencies continue to collaborate. Political issues do not halt their collaborative work, making a good relationship between one another.

However, Moscow plans to withdraw from the ISS after 2024 and construct its own station. A recent example of cooperation occurred in February when Moscow launched a rescue vessel to the ISS, successfully bringing home three stranded crew members after their capsule was hit by a meteoroid.

ISS' Importance

The International Space Station is a unique space station currently in lower Earth orbit, currently facilitates collaborative projects involving five participating space agencies: NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA, ESA, and CSA. ISS is often visible to the naked eye from Earth's surface as it is the largest artificial object in space and the largest satellite in low Earth orbit.

This stands as an extraordinary platform for space scientists, offering a unique opportunity to explore and comprehend countless aspects of the universe. The platform has been vital for research and development purposes, enabling scientists and researchers to study a diverse range of fields for over 20 years.

From biological and physical sciences to biomedicine, materials, Earth, and space science, the ISS, WION reported that ISS has served as a colossal structure for these significant studies.