1998 SOHO Spacecraft Recovery: Arecibo's Role in Reviving NASA's Sun-Watching Mission
In 1998, ground controllers lost contact with the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), a joint mission by the European Space Agency and NASA, during routine maintenance. The spacecraft, designed to study the Sun, went silent due to a software error that led to operational mistakes, causing it to lose solar power and spin uncontrollably. The Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico played a crucial role in locating the spacecraft by bouncing a radar signal off it, confirming its position and condition. The recovery process, which took several months, involved gradually restoring power and control to the spacecraft using NASA's Deep Space Network.