Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket is on the podium at the company’s Launch 1 complex in New Zealand for a rehearsal before the launch of CAPSTONE. Credit: Rocket Lab
Rocket Lab’s Photon satellite bus will deliver CAPSTONE on a journey to the moon. Credit: NASA Illustration / Daniel Rutter
CAPSTONE, meaning Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, will be the first spacecraft to fly a single lunar orbit before future manned missions.
The destination of this CubeSat the size of a microwave oven is an almost rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO). This same orbit is planned for Gateway, a multi-purpose outpost for long-term lunar missions as part of the agency’s Artemis program.
Team members install 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, the upper stage Photon will launch CAPSTONE into space for the first part of the spacecraft’s solo flight. After a four-month trip to the Moon, CAPSTONE will test the dynamics of the NRHO for at least six months, helping to reduce the risk for future spacecraft. CAPSTONE will also demonstrate innovative spacecraft navigation technology to spacecraft and unidirectional range capabilities that could help future spacecraft fly close to the Moon with a reduced need for communication with Earth.
CAPSTONE is commercially owned and operated by Advanced Space in Westminster, Colorado, on behalf of NASA. It represents an innovative collaboration between NASA and industry to provide quick results and feedback to inform future exploration and science missions. Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, a 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.