CAPSTONE Satellite

In  News 

• Recently, NASA launched Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment(CAPSTONE Satellite).

About 

• It is a microwave oven-sized CubeSat weighing just 55 pounds (25 kg).
• It  is designed to test a unique, elliptical lunar orbit.
• It aims to help reduce risk for future spacecraft by validating innovative navigation technologies, and by verifying the dynamics of the halo-shaped orbit.
  • The orbit is known as a near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO).
  •  It is significantly elongated, and is located at a precise balance point in the gravities of Earth and the Moon.

• It will gain experience with small dedicated launches of CubeSats beyond low-Earth orbit, to the Moon, and beyond, NASA said.

Mission objectives:

• Verify the characteristics of a cis-lunar near rectilinear halo orbit for future spacecraft
• Demonstrate entering and maintaining this unique orbit that provides a highly-efficient path to the Moon’s surface and back
• Demonstrate spacecraft-to-spacecraft navigation services that allow future spacecraft to determine their location relative to the Moon without relying exclusively on tracking from Earth
• Lay a foundation for commercial support of future lunar operations
• Gain experience with small dedicated launches of CubeSats beyond low-Earth orbit, to the Moon, and beyond

Source:IE