Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket sits on the podium at the company’s Launch 1 complex in New Zealand for a rehearsal before the launch of CAPSTONE. Credit: Rocket Lab
The Rocket Lab’s Photon satellite bus will deliver CAPSTONE on a trajectory to the moon. Credit: Illustration by NASA / Daniel Rutter
CAPSTONE, short for Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, will be the first spacecraft to fly in a specific unique lunar orbit before future missions with the crew.
The destination for this microwave-sized CubeSat is an almost rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO). The same orbit is planned for Gateway, a multifunctional post for long-term lunar missions as part of Artemis’ program.
Team members are installing solar panels on the CAPSTONE spacecraft – short for Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment – at Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems Inc., in Irvine, California. Credit: NASA / Dominic Hart
Six days after launch, Photon’s upper stage will launch CAPSTONE into space for the first part of the spacecraft’s solo flight. After a four-month voyage to the moon, CAPSTONE will test the dynamics of the NRHO for at least six months, which will help reduce the risk to future spacecraft. CAPSTONE will also demonstrate innovative space-to-space navigation technology and one-way range capabilities that could help future spacecraft fly close to the moon with reduced need to communicate with Earth.
CAPSTONE is commercially owned and operated by Advanced Space in Westminster, Colorado, on behalf of NASA. It is an innovative collaboration between NASA and industry to provide fast results and feedback to inform future research and research missions. Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, Terran Orbital Corporation, of Irvine, California, built the spacecraft. The mission also includes contributions from Stellar Exploration Inc., Space Dynamics Lab, Tethers Unlimited Inc. and Orion Space Systems.
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