#CometC2022E3 #ZTF as seen by #Japan's #cubesat #EQUULEUS.

#comet #astronomy #astrodon #Artemis1 #Moon

The Japanese #EQUULEUS spacecraft - launched with #ArtemisI - has successfully photographed comet C/2022 E3 (#ZTF) from space! EQUULEUS is sailing toward the Lunar Lagrange point, and these series of images were taken by calculating the timing and direction from the relative orbits of the comet and EQUULEUS: https://twitter.com/EQUULEUS_en/status/1627864630419931137

The Japanese #EQUULEUS spacecraft - launched with #ArtemisI - has successfully photographed comet C/2022 E3 (#ZTF) from space! EQUULEUS is sailing toward the Lunar Lagrange point, and these series of images were taken by calculating the timing and direction from the relative orbits of the comet and EQUULEUS: https://twitter.com/EQUULEUS_en/status/1627864630419931137

RT @EQUULEUS_en@twitter.com

WE DID IT!!
Successfully photographed the day-night terminator line on the far side of the Moon!!!
#EQUULEUS #Artemis @NASAArtemis@twitter.com @JAXA_en@twitter.com

🐦🔗: https://twitter.com/EQUULEUS_en/status/1595261621454401536

Ten #cubesats were deployed on the #Artemis mission. Here's their current status.

Operational: #ArgoMoon, #Biosentinel, #EQUULEUS, and #LunaH-Map

Non-operational: #CuSP, #LunarIceCube, #LunIR, #NEAScout, #OMOTENASHI, and #TeamMiles

Meanwhile high above Earth's northern pole #EQUULEUS is heading back out to well beyond the Moon in it's highly elliptical orbit as it carries on a long journey to the E-M L2 point to do some science. Mission this night is reacquire signal and confirm orbital parameters.

Meanwhile high above Earth's northern pole #EQUULEUS is heading back out to well beyond the Moon in it's highly elliptical orbit as it carries on a long journey to the E-M L2 point to do some science. Mission this night is reacquire signal and confirm orbital parameters.

The Japanese #EQUULEUS spacecraft launched together with the the #Orion "has been confirmed to be in the planned orbit towards the second Earth-Moon Lagrange point (EML2)": https://global.jaxa.jp/press/2022/11/20221126-1_e.html - "[f]rom now, EQUULEUS will move from the initial operation phase onto the normal operation phase, and reach the Lagrange point in approximately 1.5 years."

@justinbuist Very cool stuff. Watch the #EQUULEUS mission as it's going to be pretty cool to watch all the astrogation goings on there.

#EQUULEUS sky-track modelled over the estimated period of the orbit. It's circumpolar this night.

#EQUULEUS sky-track modelled over the estimated period of the orbit. It's circumpolar this night.

Kept playing with the TLE and added some more data and rough guesses at period and eccentricity. Now it's starting to look like the plot from the #EQUULEUS folks.

Kept playing with the TLE and added some more data and rough guesses at period and eccentricity. Now it's starting to look like the plot from the #EQUULEUS folks.

Well, this is cool, made up a psuedo-TLE for #EQUULEUS and the equivalent circular orbit for my short arc observations places the spacecraft at perigee with Earth right about now according to the plot released for the first Earth orbit. 🧵

@EQUULEUS_en@twitter.com

Well, this is cool, made up a psuedo-TLE for #EQUULEUS and the equivalent circular orbit for my short arc observations places the spacecraft at perigee with Earth right about now according to the plot released for the first Earth orbit. 🧵

@EQUULEUS_en@twitter.com

Here's a rough plot of the trajectory of #EQUULEUS. It's obvious from the rapidly changing position in the sky she's rapidly approaching Earth.

RT @EQUULEUS_en@twitter.com

EQUULEUS has completed its first orbit maneuver (DV1) and is now undergoing TCM1 to correct errors in the maneuver. With these orbit maneuvers, EQUULEUS will remain in the Earth-Moon system after the lunar flyby and will be inserted into a trajectory toward the Lagrangian point.

🐦🔗: https://twitter.com/EQUULEUS_en/status/1594234212575772672

#EQUULEUS one of the #cubesats from #Artemis1 is producing a loud signal this night. It's declination is rapidly increasing by the looks of my radio positional observations. I found it in comms with DSS26 at Goldstone, that session has ended and it's still emitting 😉

#EQUULEUS one of the #cubesats from #Artemis1 is producing a loud signal this night. It's declination is rapidly increasing by the looks of my radio positional observations. I found it in comms with DSS26 at Goldstone, that session has ended and it's still emitting 😉

Noticed DSS26 in communication with #EQUULEUS. The spacecraft had a 10dB SNR signal and was audible in the 66cm dish at over 250000km. Switched off and the noise floor jumped up for a few seconds....
2022-11-25T04:50:00
RA 01h45m44s
DEC 04°10'23"

From the EQUULEUS Twitter account...

WE DID IT!!

Successfully photographed the day-night terminator line on the far side of the Moon!!!

#EQUULEUS #Artemis