This mission hasn’t been trouble-free. Lucy’s two solar arrays have been a particular struggle. Spread out on each side of the spacecraft, these large round structures of solar cells collect energy from the sun to power Lucy’s systems. To tuck Lucy into the nosecone of a rocket for launch, the arrays had to fold up. The plan was for each array to unfurl like a fan into a full 360-degree spread, then latch into place.
One array did that perfectly. The other didn’t latch following launch. That posed two problems: The solar array needed to cover maximum area to get Lucy sufficient power, and it had to latch into place to be structurally sound. If it wasn’t locked, it could be damaged whenever Lucy fired its thrusters.
The team tried multiple tactics to deploy and latch the stuck array, such as using the backup motor to tug the array’s opening lanyard. In the end, while the array didn’t catch, it did end up covering between 353 degrees and 357 degrees. That allowed the mission to continue. Thus far, the spacecraft is in good health and generating the power it needs.
