Capstone Mission: NASA will test whether a space station can orbit the Moon

With its intent to return to the moon, NASA launched a unique mission on Tuesday, that will try to prove the possibility of a file A space station in orbit on our natural satellite Which allows the rise and fall of people.

It’s about extension The Capstone Mission, the CubeSat is microwave-sized and weighs less than 25kg, which will test a uniquely elliptical orbit of the Moon, 1,600 km from one lunar pole at its near pass and 70,000 km from the other at its climax every 7 days. This significantly elongated orbit would be Preparation for Gateway, the future permanent space station that, as part of the Artemis program to return to the Moon, It will act as a “gateway” to our natural satellite, facilitating the coming and going of astronauts and supplies from Earth.

A few months after the scheduled launch date, Capstone (Cislunar’s autonomous GPS technology operations and navigation experiment) departed at 9:55 a.m. GMT on a rocket. Rocket Lab Electron from launch complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand.

Six days after launch, the upper stage of the rocket will launch the small probe into space for the first part of its solo flight. After a four-month trip to the Moon, the Capstone will test the dynamics of a near-straight-halo orbit (NRHO) for at least six months, which will help reduce risks to future spacecraft. This elongated orbit, 1,600 km from one pole of the Moon at its near pass and 70,000 km from the other pole at its zenith every seven daysrepresents an advantage over circularity, as it requires less thrust for ships flying to and from the lunar surface.

“The launch was so amazingsaid Bradley Smith, director of NASA’s Office of Launch Services, which was present for the moon’s nightly launch.

Over the next five days, the Photon module will gradually propel itself into orbit through a series of engine burns. Six days after launch, the Photon will make its final boot, increasing its speed to 39,500 kilometers per hour, fast enough to escape from Earth’s orbit and head for the Moon. Within 20 minutes of this burn, a photon will deploy a Capstone to keep it on an efficient, low-energy path toward the Moon. The cube’s trajectory would take up to 1.3 million kilometers from Earth, more than three times the distance between Earth and the Moon, before gravity would pull it back in.

finally, On November 13, Capstone will be entered into a nearly straight halo orbit (NRHO) Around the Moon, an intriguing but unproven place in space. The $30 million mission for NASA is operated by Colorado-based Advanced Space Corporation.

The micro-satellite, or CubeSat, will demonstrate innovative spacecraft navigation technology and one-way range capabilities It could help future spacecraft fly close to the Moon while reducing the need to communicate with Earth.

The lessons learned from Capstone will serve as preparation for Gateway, the future station in permanent lunar orbit, which the European Space Agency (ESA) is also involved in building. When ready, it will act as a “gateway” to our satellite, making it easier to collect astronauts and supplies from Earth. The portal is a critical component of Artemis’ program to return humans to the moon, including the first woman and first person of color. The ultimate goal is to establish a permanent base on the Moon. To serve as a laboratory and test ground for jumping to other worlds, the first Mars.

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