Teams are evaluating weather condition and other factors to figure out the date of the next launch attempt. The next launch chance within the present duration is on June 28. CAPSTONEs trajectory design suggests that the spacecraft will arrive at its lunar orbit on November 13 regardless of launch date within the present period, which offers launch opportunities every day through July 27.
Six days after launch, the Photon upper phase will launch CAPSTONE into space for the very first part of the spacecrafts solo flight.
Rocket Labs Electron rocket sits on the pad at the businesss Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand for damp dress practice session ahead of the CAPSTONE launch. Credit: Rocket Lab
NASA, Rocket Lab, and Advanced Space are standing down from the June 27 launch effort for the CAPSTONE mission to the Moon to permit Rocket Lab to carry out last systems checks. The mission was slated to introduce on Monday, June 27, aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from the companys Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand.
Groups are assessing weather and other aspects to identify the date of the next launch attempt. The next launch chance within the existing period is on June 28. CAPSTONEs trajectory style suggests that the spacecraft will get here at its lunar orbit on November 13 no matter launch date within the existing period, which uses launch opportunities every day through July 27.
Rocket Labs Photon satellite bus will deliver CAPSTONE into a trajectory toward the Moon. Credit: Illustration by NASA/Daniel Rutter
CAPSTONE, which stands for Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, will be the very first spacecraft to fly a specific distinct lunar orbit ahead of future objectives with team.
The destination for this microwave oven-size CubeSat is a near rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO). That very same orbit is planned for Gateway, a multipurpose station for long-term lunar objectives as part of the companys Artemis program.
Team members set up solar panels onto 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 Photon upper phase will release CAPSTONE into area for the very first part of the spacecrafts solo flight. After a four-month journey to the Moon, CAPSTONE will check the dynamics of the NRHO for a minimum of 6 months, helping decrease threat for future spacecraft. CAPSTONE will also demonstrate innovative spacecraft-to-spacecraft navigation innovation and one-way ranging capabilities that might help future spacecraft fly near the Moon with decreased requirement 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 offer fast outcomes and feedback to notify future expedition and science missions. Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, a Terran Orbital Corporation, of Irvine, California, built the spacecraft. The mission also consists of contributions from Stellar Exploration Inc., Space Dynamics Lab, Tethers Unlimited Inc., and Orion Space Systems.