[SatNews] ESA’s GOCE gravity mission has recovered from a glitch that prevented the satellite from sending its flow of scientific data to the ground — news of the recovery comes earlier than expected, thanks to the fervent efforts of a team of experts.

The recovery follows a serious communications malfunction on July 8th, when the Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) satellite suddenly failed to downlink scientific data to its receiving stations. Extensive investigations by experts from ESA and industry revealed that the issue was almost certainly related to a communication link between the processor module and the telemetry modules of the main computer. These telemetry modules are situated between the processor board and the transmitters, forming a vital part of the onboard data handling and communications system.

Recovery from the situation came after software patches gained access to troubleshooting information via the slow trickle of data that was still reaching the GOCE ground stations. This new information allowed the team to develop an understanding of the state of all the onboard systems. As part of the action plan, the temperature of the floor hosting the computers was raised by some 7 degrees C — resulting in restoration of normal communications. Plans are in place should the communications system experience the same glitch in the future. Software patches are now being developed to allow the two onboard computers to work in unison. Orbiting through the outer remnants of Earth's atmosphere to sense the strongest gravity signal possible, GOCE is the most advanced gravity mission to date, designed to map variations in Earth's gravity field with extreme detail and accuracy.