Hinode Resumes Normal Science Operations

On March 5, 2022, after a science data hiatus of a little over 2 months, Hinode resumed normal science operations.  On December 27, 2022 Hinode's star tracker lost lock on one star and this resulted in an eventual safe hold for the spacecraft and all three instruments.  The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) owns the spacecraft and set about on a careful/methodical course to investigate/mitigate the related Attitude Control System (ACS) issues.

JAXA cleared the science instruments to restart in late February and has now resumed normal operations.  JAXA did not yet recover the faulty start tracker, but that investigation continues.  In the meantime, they developed and demonstrated a manual approach for stabilizing and maneuvering the spacecraft.  The manual mode of operation continues to be fine-tuned, now using imagery from the science instruments to provide precise, spacecraft attitude confirmation.  All instruments appear to be functioning normally and regular/joint observations and science planning are now underway.

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