DART Mission Mishap Report Won't be Released, NASA Says

An artist's concept of the DART spacecraft as it bears down on its target satellite in orbit. CREDIT: Orbital Sciences.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Citing sensitive information, NASA said Friday it will not publicly release its official report on the failure of a spacecraft during a mission to rendezvous with a Pentagon satellite without human help.

DART spacecraft mishap contains details protected by the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, said space agency spokesman Michael Braukus.

But NASA plans to release a summary of the report that will explain why DART did not complete its mission last year, Braukus said. An initial analysis found the 800-pound spacecraft suffered a fuel problem, but engineers did not detect a fuel leak.

The robotic Demonstration for Autonomous Rendezvous Technology spacecraft was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., in April 2005 to perform an unprecedented rendezvous with another satellite without human intervention.

DART successfully located its target and flew within 300 feet. But the project ended prematurely when the spacecraft shut down halfway into the 24-hour mission and failed to complete several automated tasks including circling the satellite and making close approaches.

Mission manager Jim Snoddy previously said the spacecraft detected a fuel problem and navigational errors with its on-board computers.

The $110 million project was meant to test the capability of robots to perform tasks currently done by astronauts. NASA envisions future applications such as the robotic delivery of cargo to space stations and automated docking and repair between spacecraft in orbit.

A week after the mishap, NASA assembled a team to investigate. The space agency approved the team's report in February and has released the findings internally ''on specific request and 'as need basis,''' Braukus said. NASA is working with the team to write the public summary omitting the sensitive information, he said.

The space agency distributed a new public information policy last month specifying that information protected by ITAR is considered ''sensitive but unclassified'' and that unauthorized release to news organizations could result in prosecution or disciplinary action.

DART was managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

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• NASA Tracks Navigation Errors, Fuel Shortage in DART Rendezvous Mission
• NASA's Robotic DART Mission Ends in Mishap