Software Update Destroys $286M Japanese Satellite

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I'm sure that, at some point in our lives, we've all bricked something. Maybe a BIOS update that toasted a motherboard, processor, memory, maybe a video video card, you name it. With that said, I don't think all the hardware we have collectively fried even comes close to borking a $286 million satellite update. Somebody is getting fired. :eek:

The Japanese X-ray telescope Hitomi has been declared lost after it disintegrated in orbit, torn apart when spinning out of control. The cause is still under investigation but early analysis points to bad data in a software package pushed shortly after an instrument probe was extended from the rear of the satellite. JAXA, the Japanese space agency, lost $286 million, three years of planned observations, and a possible additional 10 years of science research.
 
That sucks.


Bad code is everywhere now, nothing is immune :(
 
Pfft, blame the original designers for not having a failsafe. A system like that should have redundant everything, 2 systems running in harmony ready to take over in the event of failure. Also the time to update software might be past once the damn thing is in orbit.
 
potency said:
Probably clicked on that Win 10 upgrade accidentally, I know it almost fooled me a few times...
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How many posts does it take to get to a Windows 10 update joke? 1, 2, 3, (Crunch of a plummeting satellite), 4.
 
They say if you listen closely with your ear to the sky, you can hear the word "Bonzai"
 
zn6eqx.jpg
 
nysmo said:
Pfft, blame the original designers for not having a failsafe. A system like that should have redundant everything, 2 systems running in harmony ready to take over in the event of failure. Also the time to update software might be past once the damn thing is in orbit.
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Prince Nebulon: How did this happen?! Where's the Abductions Department?

Zigerion 2: Hey, man, Abductions just follows the acquisition order.

Zigerion 3: Don't put this on Acquisitions! We only acquire humans that haven't been simulated!

Kevin: Well, Simulations doesn't simulate anybody that's been abducted, so—

Prince Nebulon: Oh, I see! Oh, oh! It was no one's fault. Oh, okay. I'm sorry. Well, then, problem solved.
 
nysmo said:
Pfft, blame the original designers for not having a failsafe. A system like that should have redundant everything, 2 systems running in harmony ready to take over in the event of failure. Also the time to update software might be past once the damn thing is in orbit.
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...to be fair, it's a satellite; every gram and every watt that can be cut will be cut. Besides, if the failsafe takes over when the satellite has been spinning out of control for a fraction of a second, it probably would be too late already.
 
So that's new. No longer is it "garbage in, garbage out," it's "garbage in, RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! IT'S COMING DOWN!"
 
I was just reading about that satellite on wikipedia yesterday after I had clicked-through from an article about the ASAT missile successfully used against a satellite launched from a F15.
Apparently it still 'blinks' from time to time so maybe nothing relevant deorbited and it will be back online as soon as it goes through the reboot sequence :D
One can see a number of satellites spinning in orbit - as bright regular flashes in the night sky. Some hobbyists are even reactivating an old NASA Solar probe - IIRC they even performed engine burns later confirmed by Areceibo.
 
nysmo said:
Pfft, blame the original designers for not having a failsafe. A system like that should have redundant everything, 2 systems running in harmony ready to take over in the event of failure. Also the time to update software might be past once the damn thing is in orbit.
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For something that expensive, I'm sure there are 2 OBC (on-board computer). Redundancy are based on importance due to weight restriction but the OBC would be one of those that would have a primary and redundant side. Usually there is a testbed that is use to test the code before it get upload. But from reading the wiki, it seems that there was plenty of issues prior to the update. Accidents do happen.
 
nysmo said:
Pfft, blame the original designers for not having a failsafe. A system like that should have redundant everything, 2 systems running in harmony ready to take over in the event of failure. Also the time to update software might be past once the damn thing is in orbit.
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Na, even a satellite, if it has an expected life of ten years, must be able to accept software updates or it's liable to be rendered obsolete and left behind.
 
nysmo said:
Pfft, blame the original designers for not having a failsafe. A system like that should have redundant everything, 2 systems running in harmony ready to take over in the event of failure.
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Hardware failure/lack of redundancy wasn't the problem. It was bad software.
 
Any update are design to fix or adjust to the condition after launch. It does not give new functionality to stay ahead of the game. That's what you call build 2 or 3. The payload is only going to be used what it was designed to do and nothing more.
lcpiper said:
Na, even a satellite, if it has an expected life of ten years, must be able to accept software updates or it's liable to be rendered obsolete and left behind.
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The software update has nothing to do with it being obsolete. Any updates send to the satellite is really to fix or patch flaky hardware or flawed design, if it can be fix. The thing with the life expectancy of the satellite is really a best guess estimate. Sometime it has to do with the company that builds it too. Some company are know to build satellite that way surpass and charges a premium for their work just like any industry. But you would be surprise at the level of technology and testing that goes into a satellite.
 
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