NASA may be returning home in a crash that has prevented the large solar panels on its new asteroid-bound spacecraft from deploying properly.

The agency's Lucy mission launched Oct. 16 and about an hour after the slot explosion. Two large solar panels began to be deployed on schedule. However, preliminary analysis indicated that one of the two arrays where each array is more than 7 meters wide, it is not fully deployed. Mission officials now believe they've identified where the error occurred: a lanyard that allows the array to deploy.

Preliminary testing indicates that the rope that pulls out the solar panels may fail the procedure, however, it is uncertain what is causing the symptoms,” NASA officials wrote in a statement released Friday (Nov. 5). ) “The team is currently conducting further testing to determine if this is indeed the case.

 And the real cause may come from any team. The ground is using engineering models. In addition to the information returned by the spacecraft to assess the situation. The team will not instruct the spacecraft to attempt to modify the array until Nov. 16 at the earliest.

except the solar panel that is stuck. Everything in Lucy's mission works properly. and the spacecraft is in scheduled cruise mode. According to the statement, two of Lucy's three instruments are on. The third is scheduled to begin work on Monday (Nov. 8).