NASA’s CAPSTONE cubesat mission marks over 450 days in orbit around the moon, showcasing a distinctive path intended for a forthcoming moon-orbiting space station. The manufacturer reports that the mission remains operational and has surpassed its primary objectives.
The cubesat, comparable in size to a microwave oven, dubbed as CAPSTONE (Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment), commenced its journey on June 28, 2022. Shortly after less than five months, it entered a near rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) around the moon. This elliptical route has its nearest point at 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) and the farthest point at 43,000 miles (70,000 km) from the lunar surface. The aim was to evaluate a new navigational system and gather essential data on the forces acting on the future moon-orbiting station along this trajectory.
CAPSTONE is distinguished as the pioneer spacecraft navigating in an NRHO. Terran Orbital, the Florida-based company behind CAPSTONE, shared a statement on the mission’s 450 days in proximity to the moon, highlighting its achievement in fulfilling core missions. The statement also alludes to an extended mission expected to continue at least until May this year.
Jointly developed by Terran Orbital, Advanced Space, a technology company from Colorado, and NASA’s Artemis program, CAPSTONE serves as a crucial asset in NASA’s initiative to return humans to the moon and establish a sustained human presence there. The mission has been described as an invaluable source of data and experience for forthcoming exploration missions by Bradley Cheetham, CEO of Advanced Space.
In a recent statement by Advanced Space, it was announced that CAPSTONE had reached a record-setting “uptime” of 112 consecutive days, indicating independent computer operation without the need for ground control. The spacecraft utilizes radio crosslinks to communicate with NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, with communication windows being limited. During the last interaction in January, lasting 66 minutes, the two spacecraft exchanged a substantial amount of data, showcasing the effectiveness of the communication system.
The exceptional communication design of CAPSTONE enables potential interactions with multiple users in the future, aiding other moon-orbiting spacecraft in maintaining their positions autonomously. The NRHO path, like the one navigated by CAPSTONE, is deemed distinctive and fundamentally significant in advancing lunar exploration missions.