#CAPSTONE is at the #Moon! Initial data indicates that insertion into Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO) was executed as planned. This week, 2 cleanup maneuvers will ensure the spacecraft was precisely inserted into orbit. Congratulations, CAPSTONE Mission Team!#innovation2orbit
CAPSTONE Initial Insertion at The Moon Executed as Planned!Nov 13, 2022 | CAPSTONE MissionCAPSTONE made its initial insertion into the Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO) on Sunday, November 13th. Two smaller correction maneuvers will take place this week to ensure the spacecraft is confirmed into the complex lunar orbit. This NRHO is an orbit around the Moon that has never been flown before and it is the intended orbit for the Gateway space station. NASA intends to use Gateway to support Artemis missions to the lunar surface. CAPSTONE is the first CubeSat to fly to and operate at the Moon.The leadup to the NRHO insertion maneuver (NIM) was quite busy behind the scenes. Ever want to see what happens leading in the Mission Operations room, here’s a glimpse into the play-by-play action of the CAPSTONE Mission Team (as designed/planned) in the hours leading up to the insertion:4:23pm MT: The radio ceased transmissions and oriented the solar panels at the Sun to top the batteries off.5:08pm MT: The spacecraft slewed to the burn attitude and let the fuel settle in the tank.5:22:27 MT: The spacecraft began execution of the NRHO Insertion Maneuver (NIM). It thrusted at about 0.44 Newtons (equivalent of the weight of about 9 pieces of 8.5x11in paper in your hand!!).5:34:22 MT: NIM as designed was complete. It lasts just under 16 minutes5:34:28 MT: Spacecraft slews to Sun-Point to recharge batteries.5:39:09 MT: NIM burn officially ends and CAPSTONE Mission Operations Team gets to work about the Moon’s orbit6:00 MT: Initial data received and insertion into the orbit was executed as planned
Big news! @NASA's #CAPSTONE arrived to its orbit at the Moon and completed its first orbit insertion maneuver! The spacecraft will continue to refine its orbit over the next few days, and will test the orbit planned for the @NASA_Gateway lunar outpost.
CAPSTONE Arrives to Orbit at the MoonThe CAPSTONE mission operations team confirmed that NASA’s CAPSTONE spacecraft arrived at its orbit at the Moon Sunday evening. The CubeSat completed an initial orbit insertion maneuver, firing its thrusters to put the spacecraft into orbit, at 7:38 p.m. EST.CAPSTONE is now in a near-rectilinear halo orbit, or NRHO. This particular NRHO is the same orbit that will be used by Gateway, the Moon-orbiting space station that will support NASA’s Artemis missions. CAPSTONE is the first spacecraft to fly an NRHO, and the first CubeSat to operate at the Moon.In the next five days, CAPSTONE will perform two additional clean-up maneuvers to refine its orbit. After these maneuvers, the team will review data to confirm that CAPSTONE remains on track in the NRHO.Author Sarah FrazierPosted on November 13, 2022 8:41 pmCategories UncategorizedTags CAPSTONE, Cubesats, Gateway, Moon to Mars, Space Tech
Does anyone know if CAPSTONE has an onboard camera?
MISSION UPDATE: #CAPSTONE is now in the operational phase of its pathfinding mission around the Moon!As the first spacecraft to fly this ellongated orbit around the Moon known as NRHO, learn how CAPSTONE is forging a path for future #Artemis missions:
Nov 21, 2022RELEASE 22-120CAPSTONE Forges New Path for NASA’s Future Artemis Moon MissionsNASA's CAPSTONE spacecraft has completed final maneuvers to place it in its target orbit around the Moon, refining its path in the orbit it arrived to last week.The spacecraft now is in the operational phase of its pathfinding mission, during which it will test an orbit key to future Artemis missions and demonstrate new technologies for spacecraft operating near the Moon.“NASA’s partnership with Advanced Space on CAPSTONE is enabling NASA to gain critical, additional capabilities at a lower cost,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “CAPSTONE is part of our new era of human exploration at the Moon, testing the unique orbit planned for the Gateway lunar space station.”CAPSTONE – short for Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment – is a technology demonstration, designed to prove the reliability of new capabilities so that they can be used in future missions. CAPSTONE is the first spacecraft to fly in a near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) and the first CubeSat to operate at the Moon. This orbit is the same planned for Gateway, an upcoming Moon-orbiting space station that will support NASA's Artemis missions. CAPSTONE will gather data on this orbit for at least six months to support Gateway's operational planning."Missions like CAPSTONE allow us to reduce risk for future spacecraft, giving us a chance to test our understanding and demonstrate technologies we intend to use in the future," said Jim Reuter, associate administrator for NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate. "Partnering with innovative U.S. companies, including several small businesses, on CAPSTONE has given us the chance to forge new ground, merging commercial interests with NASA's goals." CAPSTONE took a four-month journey from launch to orbit – overcoming challenges related to communications and propulsion along the way – and performed an initial orbit insertion maneuver on Nov. 13. In the following days, the CAPSTONE mission operations team, led by Advanced Space of Westminster, Colorado, analyzed data from the spacecraft to confirm it was in the expected orbit and carried out two clean-up maneuvers to refine its track.In addition to studying this unique orbit, CAPSTONE's mission also includes two technology demonstrations that could be used by future spacecraft. The Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System, or CAPS, is a navigational software developed by Advanced Space that would allow spacecraft operating near the Moon to determine their position in space without relying exclusively on tracking from Earth. CAPSTONE will demonstrate this technology by communicating directly with NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has been in orbit around the Moon since 2009. CAPSTONE will also demonstrate one-way ranging using a chip-scale atomic clock, which could allow spacecraft to determine their position in space without the need for a dedicated downlink to ground stations."We have been working to this point since we started the company over 11 years ago. Getting into this orbit at the Moon validates so much hard work and grit by the combined CAPSTONE mission operations team," said Bradley Cheetham, principal investigator for CAPSTONE and chief executive officer of Advanced Space. "The capabilities we have demonstrated and the technologies still to be matured will support future missions for decades to come."CAPSTONE launched June 28, 2022, aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from Mahia, New Zealand. After launch, a Photon upper stage raised CAPSTONE's orbit and injected the spacecraft into its ballistic lunar transfer, a long but fuel-efficient trajectory that carried the spacecraft to the Moon over the course of more than four months.CAPSTONE is commercially owned and operated by Advanced Space. It represents an innovative collaboration between NASA and industry to provide rapid results and feedback to inform future exploration and science missions. The spacecraft was designed and built by Terran Orbital. Operations are performed jointly by teams at Advanced Space and Terran Orbital. The mission is also supported by Stellar Exploration, Space Dynamics Laboratory, Orion Space Solutions, Tethers Unlimited, Inc., and Morehead State University.NASA’s Small Spacecraft Technology program within the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) funds the demonstration mission. The program is based at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. The development of CAPSTONE’s navigation technology is supported by NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) program, also within STMD. The Artemis Campaign Development Division within NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate funded the launch and supports mission operations.Learn more about CAPSTONE at:https://www.nasa.gov/capstone-end-Sarah FrazierHeadquarters, Washington202-853-7191[email protected]Last Updated: Nov 21, 2022Editor: Roxana BardanTags: Moon to Mars, Space Tech
#CAPSTONE has spent 1 month in its Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (#NRHO) at the Moon. The #CubeSat continues to verify the characteristics of this orbit — Lunar Gateway's future home. So far, it has completed 4 orbits.#innovation2orbit #Moon2Mars
You can continue to follow its journey on NASA Eyes: eyes.nasa.gov/apps/solar-sys…Thanks for your ongoing support for this mission! @NASA @NASAAmes @TerranOrbital
MISSION UPDATE: Last week #CAPSTONE completed its first orbital maintenance maneuver after more than a month at the Moon. 🌔 These planned maneuvers were expected once per orbit, but were skipped until now as the spacecraft is doing so well!
