All articles tagged with #capstone 02
NASA’s CAPSTONE 02 will launch in 2027 to send two maneuverable probes into lunar orbit to study the Moon's complex three-body gravity, operating in formation as chaser and target to map navigation and communication systems for Artemis-era missions. Built by Terran Orbital, CAPSTONE 02 follows the first CAPSTONE mission (2022–2026) which tested near-rectilinear halo orbits and three-body dynamics.
NASA has selected Advanced Space to fly CAPSTONE 02, a pair of 400‑kg small satellites launching in 2027 to demonstrate rendezvous and proximity operations near the Moon in a cislunar environment, including autonomous navigation, communications demos, and radiation measurements, as a risk‑reduction step for Artemis missions. The mission, built by Terran Orbital, will test three‑body orbit operations and payload imaging for lunar testing, continuing the CAPSTONE program that began with a 2022 CubeSat mission to validate lunar Gateway‑style navigation and operations.