What is happening
NASA is launching a small spacecraft to test the planned orbit around the moon for the upcoming lunar portal.
Why it matters
The mission, called Capstone, is a key step in bringing astronauts back to the moon’s surface.
What next
The spacecraft will spend the next four months in its unique lunar orbit.
NASA’s first lunar mission in nearly a decade will launch a Rocket Lab Electron into space on Tuesday, paving the way for Artemis astronauts to return to the moon in the coming years.
The small rocket will carry the so-called “CubeSat” with the size of a microwave oven, weighing only 55 pounds (25 kilograms) and called Capstone, which means Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment.
Departure is scheduled for 2:55 p.m. PT on Tuesday from the Rocket Lab launch site in New Zealand. You can watch the whole thing on NASA TV. The launch was originally scheduled for May 31, but was postponed several times as the mission team continued to check and quadruple all the various systems involved in taking Capstone to the moon.
The compact spacecraft will test new navigation systems and test the halo-shaped orbit around the moon, which will one day be occupied by NASA’s lunar portal. The portal will be something like a small space station orbiting the moon, which will be used to conduct missions of Artemis to the lunar surface.
The unique orbit has never been flown before and relies on balancing gravity from the Earth and the Moon. It allows continuous communication with the Earth as it passes around the Moon.
“This orbit has the added bonus of allowing the Gateway to communicate optimally with future Artemis missions operating on the lunar surface as well as back to Earth,” NASA’s Elwood Agassid said in a statement. “This could unlock new opportunities for future lunar science and research efforts.” Agasid is deputy program manager for small spacecraft technology at NASA’s Ames Research Center.
Capstone will also test communication with NASA’s lunar reconnaissance orbiter to demonstrate ways in which future lunar missions can operate without relying so much on direct communication with Earth.
In addition to the Rocket Lab, NASA is working with a handful of other private space companies on the mission, including the Colorado-based Advanced Space, which built Capstone. California’s Terran Orbital and Stellar Exploration built the CubeSat platform and its propulsion system, respectively.
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