{"id":94253,"date":"2022-06-28T09:49:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-28T13:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?migration=converted-node-480933"},"modified":"2023-07-26T16:39:10","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T20:39:10","slug":"capstone-launches-to-test-new-orbit-for-nasas-artemis-moon-missions","status":"publish","type":"press-release","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/capstone-launches-to-test-new-orbit-for-nasas-artemis-moon-missions\/","title":{"rendered":"CAPSTONE Launches to Test New Orbit for NASA\u2019s Artemis Moon Missions"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/capstone_liftoff.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1365\" height=\"2048\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/capstone_liftoff.jpg?w=1365\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"An image of CAPSTONE, launching aboard Rocket Lab\u2019s Electron rocket from the Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula of New Zealand Tuesday, June 28, 2022.\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/capstone_liftoff.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/capstone_liftoff.jpg?resize=200,300 200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/capstone_liftoff.jpg?resize=768,1152 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/capstone_liftoff.jpg?resize=683,1024 683w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/capstone_liftoff.jpg?resize=1024,1536 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/capstone_liftoff.jpg?resize=1365,2048 1365w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/capstone_liftoff.jpg?resize=267,400 267w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/capstone_liftoff.jpg?resize=400,600 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/capstone_liftoff.jpg?resize=600,900 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/capstone_liftoff.jpg?resize=800,1200 800w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/capstone_liftoff.jpg?resize=1333,2000 1333w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1365px) 100vw, 1365px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">An image of the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, or CAPSTONE, launching aboard Rocket Lab\u2019s Electron rocket from the Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula of New Zealand Tuesday, June 28, 2022. <strong>Credits: Rocket Lab<\/strong><\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>NASA\u2019s CubeSat designed to test a unique lunar orbit is safely in space and on the first leg of its journey to the Moon. The spacecraft is heading toward an orbit intended in the future for <a href=\"http:\/\/nasa.gov\/gateway\" rel=\"noopener\">Gateway<\/a>, a lunar space station built by the agency and its commercial and international partners that will support NASA\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/nasa.gov\/artemisprogram\" rel=\"noopener\">Artemis<\/a> program, including astronaut missions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, or <a href=\"http:\/\/nasa.gov\/capstone\" rel=\"noopener\">CAPSTONE<\/a>, mission launched at 5:55 a.m. EDT (09:55 UTC) on Rocket Lab\u2019s Electron rocket from the Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula of New Zealand Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCAPSTONE is an example of how working with commercial partners is key for NASA\u2019s ambitious plans to explore the Moon and beyond,\u201d said Jim Reuter, associate administrator for the Space Technology Mission Directorate. \u201cWe\u2019re thrilled with a successful start to the mission and looking forward to what CAPSTONE will do once it arrives at the Moon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>CAPSTONE is currently in low-Earth orbit, and it will take the spacecraft about four months to reach its targeted lunar orbit. NASA invites the public to follow the spacecraft\u2019s journey live using NASA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/eyes.nasa.gov\/apps\/orrery\/#\/home\" rel=\"noopener\">Eyes on the Solar System<\/a> interactive real-time 3D data visualization. Starting about one week after launch, virtually ride along with the CubeSat with a simulated view of our solar system. NASA will post updates about when to see CAPSTONE in the visualization on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/ames\" rel=\"noopener\">NASA\u2019s Ames Research Center\u2019s home page<\/a> as well as <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NASAAmes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Eembeddedtimeline%7Ctwterm%5Eprofile%3ANASAAmes%7Ctwgr%5EeyJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3NlbnNpdGl2ZV9tZWRpYV9pbnRlcnN0aXRpYWxfMTM5NjMiOnsiYnVja2V0IjoiaW50ZXJzdGl0aWFsIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd190d2VldF9yZXN1bHRfbWlncmF0aW9uXzEzOTc5Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InR3ZWV0X3Jlc3VsdCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasa.gov%2Fames\" rel=\"noopener\">Twitter<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nasaames\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>CAPSTONE is attached to Rocket Lab\u2019s Lunar Photon, an interplanetary third stage that will send CAPSTONE on its way to deep space. Shortly after launch, Lunar Photon separated from Electron\u2019s second stage. Over the next six days, Photon\u2019s engine will periodically ignite to accelerate it beyond low-Earth orbit, where Photon will release the CubeSat on a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/ames\/capstone-uses-gravity-on-unusual-efficient-route-to-the-moon\" rel=\"noopener\">ballistic lunar transfer<\/a> trajectory to the Moon. CAPSTONE will then use its own propulsion and the Sun\u2019s gravity to navigate the rest of the way to the Moon. The gravity-driven track will dramatically reduce the amount of fuel the CubeSat needs to get to the Moon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDelivering the spacecraft for launch was an accomplishment for the entire mission team, including NASA and our industry partners. Our team is now preparing for separation and initial acquisition for the spacecraft in six days,\u201d said Bradley Cheetham, principal investigator for CAPSTONE and chief executive officer of Advanced Space, which owns and operates CAPSTONE on behalf of NASA. \u201cWe have already learned a tremendous amount getting to this point, and we are passionate about the importance of returning humans to the Moon, this time to stay!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the Moon, CAPSTONE will enter an elongated orbit called a near rectilinear halo orbit, or NRHO. Once in the NRHO, CAPSTONE will fly within 1,000 miles of the Moon\u2019s North Pole on its near pass and 43,500 miles from the South Pole at its farthest. It will repeat the cycle every six and a half days and maintain this orbit for at least six months to study dynamics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCAPSTONE is a pathfinder in many ways, and it will demonstrate several technology capabilities during its mission timeframe while navigating a never-before-flown orbit around the Moon,\u201d said Elwood Agasid, project manager for CAPSTONE at NASA\u2019s Ames Research Center in California\u2019s Silicon Valley. \u201cCAPSTONE is laying a foundation for Artemis, Gateway, and commercial support for future lunar operations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During its mission, CAPSTONE will provide data about operating in an NRHO and showcase key technologies. The mission\u2019s Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System, developed by Advanced Space with support from NASA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/sbir.nasa.gov\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Small Business Innovation Research<\/a> program, is a spacecraft-to-spacecraft navigation and communications system that will work with NASA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/LRO\/main\/index.html\" rel=\"noopener\">Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter<\/a> to determine the distance between the two lunar orbiting spacecraft. This technology could allow future spacecraft to determine their position in space without relying exclusively on tracking from Earth. CAPSTONE also carries a new precision one-way ranging capability built into its radio that could reduce the amount of ground network time needed for in-space operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to New Zealand hosting CAPSTONE\u2019s launch, New Zealand\u2019s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and a University of Canterbury-led team are collaborating with NASA on a research effort to track Moon-orbiting spacecraft. New Zealand helped develop the Artemis Accords \u2013 which establish a practical set of principles to guide space exploration cooperation among nations participating in NASA\u2019s 21st century lunar exploration plans. In May 2021, New Zealand was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/new-zealand-signs-artemis-accords\" rel=\"noopener\">the 11th country<\/a> to sign the Artemis Accords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The microwave-oven sized CubeSat was designed and built by Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, a Terran Orbital Corporation. CAPSTONE includes contributions from Stellar Exploration, Inc., Space Dynamics Lab, Tethers Unlimited, Inc., and Orion Space Systems. NASA\u2019s Small Spacecraft Technology program within the agency\u2019s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) funds the demonstration mission. The program is based at NASA\u2019s Ames Research Center in California\u2019s Silicon Valley. The development of CAPSTONE\u2019s navigation technology is supported by NASA\u2019s Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR\/STTR) program, also within STMD. The Artemis Campaign Development Division within NASA\u2019s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate funds the launch and supports mission operations. The Launch Services Program at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida manages the launch service. NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory supports the communication, tracking, and telemetry downlink via NASA\u2019s Deep Space Network, Iris radio design, and groundbreaking 1-way navigation algorithms<strong>.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Learn more about the mission at:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/capstone\/\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>nasa.gov\/capstone<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>-end-<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Sarah Frazier \/ Gerelle Dodson<br \/>\nHeadquarters, Washington<br \/>\n202-853-7191\/ 202-384-4861<br \/>\n<a href=\"mailto:sarah.frazier@nasa.gov\">sarah.frazier@nasa.gov<\/a> \/ <a href=\"mailto:gerelle.q.dodson@nasa.gov\">gerelle.q.dodson@nasa.gov<\/a><br \/>\nTiffany Blake<br \/>\nAmes Research Center, Silicon Valley, Calif.<br \/>\n650-316-0153<br \/>\n<a href=\"mailto:tiffany.n.blake@nasa.gov\">tiffany.n.blake@nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NASA\u2019s CubeSat designed to test a unique lunar orbit is safely in space and on the first leg of its journey to the Moon. The spacecraft is heading toward an orbit intended in the future for Gateway, a lunar space station built by the agency and its commercial and international partners that will support NASA\u2019s [...]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":98070,"template":"","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"22-067","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"RELEASE","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[]},"categories":[2854,2681,3787,2879],"news-tags":[12374,9531],"internal-terms":[12745,9508],"coauthors":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"CAPSTONE Launches to Test New Orbit for NASA\u2019s Artemis Moon Missions","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/capstone-launches-to-test-new-orbit-for-nasas-artemis-moon-missions\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/capstone-launches-to-test-new-orbit-for-nasas-artemis-moon-missions\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/capstone_liftoff.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/capstone_liftoff.jpg"},"articleSection":"NASA Centers & Facilities","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"NASA"}],"creator":["NASA"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["NASA Directorates","Space Technology Mission Directorate","Ames Research Center","Artemis","Gateway Program"],"dateCreated":"2022-06-28T13:49:00Z","datePublished":"2022-06-28T13:49:00Z","dateModified":"2023-07-26T20:39:10Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"CAPSTONE Launches to Test New Orbit for NASA\u2019s Artemis Moon Missions\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/capstone-launches-to-test-new-orbit-for-nasas-artemis-moon-missions\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/capstone_liftoff.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2022-06-28T13:49:00Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"NASA Centers & Facilities\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"NASA Directorates,Space Technology Mission Directorate,Ames Research Center,Artemis,Gateway Program\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"NASA\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":6,"featured_image":{"id":98070,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/capstone_liftoff.jpg","title":"capstone_liftoff","alt":"An image of CAPSTONE, launching aboard Rocket Lab\u2019s Electron rocket from the Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula of New Zealand Tuesday, June 28, 2022.","caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/94253"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press-release"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/94253\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":178616,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/94253\/revisions\/178616"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98070"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94253"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=94253"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=94253"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=94253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}