Source: https://www.space.com/nasa-ibex-flight-computer-normal-march-2023
Source: https://gizmodo.com/nasa-ibex-probe-operational-after-systems-reset-1850198754
On March 2nd NASA’s Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) was able to recover connection to the spacecraft following multiple weeks of limited communication with the spacecraft. The IBEX system was originally launched October 2009 to study the boundary between the sun and the interstellar space. IBEX is also part of a network of spacecraft studying the solar winds of the sun.
NASA announced issues “regaining command capability” in late February, stating the system was healthy despite the onboard computer resetting unexpectedly and placing the system into contingency mode. All of the time that the system was unable to communicate with the ground was not able to process mission data.
The IBEX system shows the importance of having high availability for spacecraft systems. The system relies on connectivity to the NASA ground station to transmit telemetry and other data for analysis and completing the mission. Since the ground station was also unable to send commands to the spacecraft for 3 weeks, it was impossible to change anything on the spacecraft. While the ability to remotely reset the system saved communication with the spacecraft, this functionality could also be used by attackers to launch an availability attack or gain access to the system. Because of this, it is vital to maintain security of ground stations that have the ability to control a spacecraft.