CAPSTONE (spacecraft)

CAPSTONE Goes the Distance for NASA’s Artemis Program

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, August 31, 2022

The dominance of the Suns gravitational pull enables CAPSTONEs extreme distance as part of a ballistic lunar transfer (BLT) trajectory.

Key Points: 
  • The dominance of the Suns gravitational pull enables CAPSTONEs extreme distance as part of a ballistic lunar transfer (BLT) trajectory.
  • The NRHO is the intended orbit for Gateway, a lunar space station that will support NASAs Artemis program.
  • Terran Orbital is thrilled to guide CAPSTONE through and beyond apogee, said Terran Orbital Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer Marc Bell.
  • We greatly value our partnership with Advanced Space and are forever grateful to NASA for creating the historic Artemis program.

Terran Orbital Wins Mission of the Year for CAPSTONE Spacecraft

Retrieved on: 
Monday, August 15, 2022

Key Points: 
  • View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220815005139/en/
    CAPSTONE is the Small Satellite Conference's Mission of the Year (Graphic: Terran Orbital Corporation)
    Terran Orbital developed and co-operates the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, otherwise known as CAPSTONE, in cooperation with NASA and Advanced Space.
  • Terran Orbital is humbled to be included in the Mission of the Year award, said Terran Orbital Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer Marc Bell.
  • Our engineers spent countless hours developing and perfecting the CAPSTONE spacecraft and are now carefully guiding it to the Moon.
  • Terran Orbital is a leading manufacturer of small satellites primarily serving the United States and Allied aerospace and defense industries.

Terran Orbital Concludes TCM-2 for CAPSTONE

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, July 27, 2022

The Terran Orbital Mission Operations Center then commands the burn and processes the post-burn telemetry.

Key Points: 
  • The Terran Orbital Mission Operations Center then commands the burn and processes the post-burn telemetry.
  • Each burn brings CAPSTONE one step closer to the Moon, said Terran Orbital Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer Marc Bell.
  • Terran Orbital is beyond proud of our incredible engineers who not only designed, built, and integrated CAPSTONE, but are now leading mission operations in collaboration with NASA and Advanced Space.
  • Terran Orbital is a leading manufacturer of small satellites primarily serving the United States and Allied aerospace and defense industries.

Orion Space Solutions supports CAPSTONE Program for NASA Moon Missions

Retrieved on: 
Monday, July 18, 2022

LOUISVILLE, Colo., July 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA launched its Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) on June 28, as a part of the Artemis program, to study a specific orbit for the future Gateway lunar station. Led by Advanced Space, this mission is test driving orbital analysis that will enable NASA's future exploration efforts. Orion Space Solutions (OSS) provides a critical satellite component that will support mission success.

Key Points: 
  • Orion Space Solutions (OSS) provides a critical satellite component that will support mission success.
  • "OSS engineers and scientists develop space solutions that work," says Mr. Erik Stromberg, OSS Senior Director of Special Programs.
  • CAPSTONE is set to arrive at the moon in November, when it will begin its 6-month long primary mission.
  • About Orion Space Solutions: Orion Space Solutions (OSS) was born from the vision to apply fundamental space physics knowledge to real-world problems.

Terran Orbital Executes CAPSTONE’s Second TCM Burn

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, July 12, 2022

Terran Orbital Corporation (NYSE: LLAP ), a global leader in satellite solutions, primarily serving the United States and Allied aerospace and defense industries, today announced the successful completion of CAPSTONEs second TCM burn.

Key Points: 
  • Terran Orbital Corporation (NYSE: LLAP ), a global leader in satellite solutions, primarily serving the United States and Allied aerospace and defense industries, today announced the successful completion of CAPSTONEs second TCM burn.
  • Much smaller than the first TCM burn, this second TCM burn demonstrates the spacecrafts ability to perform small and precise maneuvers, a capability that is critical to operations in a Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO).
  • As with the first TCM burn, Terran Orbital Guidance Navigation and Control systems perfectly performed the maneuver as designed by Advanced Space.
  • The completion of this second TCM burn confirms the spacecraft is capable of performing the small and precise maneuvers Terran Orbital designed it to perform in NRHO.

Terran Orbital Successfully Completes CAPSTONE’s First TCM Burn

Retrieved on: 
Friday, July 8, 2022

Terran Orbital Corporation (NYSE: LLAP ), a global leader in satellite solutions, primarily serving the United States and Allied aerospace and defense industries, today announced the successful completion of CAPSTONEs first TCM burn (TCM-1).

Key Points: 
  • Terran Orbital Corporation (NYSE: LLAP ), a global leader in satellite solutions, primarily serving the United States and Allied aerospace and defense industries, today announced the successful completion of CAPSTONEs first TCM burn (TCM-1).
  • View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220708005094/en/
    CAPSTONE flies toward cislunar space - the orbital space near and around the Moon (Credit: Terran Orbital Corporation)
    Terran Orbital Guidance Navigation and Control systems perfectly performed the maneuver as designed by Advanced Space.
  • Terran Orbital is thrilled to have successfully completed CAPSTONEs first TCM burn, said Terran Orbital Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer Marc Bell.
  • Terran Orbital is a leading manufacturer of small satellites primarily serving the United States and Allied aerospace and defense industries.

CAPSTONE is MOON BOUND! Advanced Space Leads Lunar Mission for NASA

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, July 7, 2022

WESTMINSTER, Colo., July 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Advanced Space LLC., a leading space tech solutions company, announced today that CAPSTONE – the spacecraft heading to the Moon for NASA - is healthy after successfully performing its first trajectory correction maneuver. This maneuver is a significant milestone for the mission as it represents the first of many maneuvers the spacecraft will conduct during the mission. The propulsion system is specifically optimized for precise maneuvers such as this. This maneuver is similar in size to the critical Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO) Insertion Maneuver which will be conducted at the Moon on November 13th and thus serves as a test from which the team will learn to improve future operations.  At time of execution, the spacecraft was approximately 465,000 km from the Earth (~13 times further than the GEO belt and ~81,000 km further than the Moon). The spacecraft had lost communications a couple of days ago, but the operations teams effectively and efficiently worked to resolve the issue and communication was restored approximately 43 hours after it was unexpectedly interrupted. The Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment or CAPSTONE, began its solo journey to the Moon on July 4th as the first launch supporting Artemis missions. Advanced Space leads the CAPSTONE mission for NASA and is the first commercial and privately-owned spacecraft mission to the Moon. The microwave-sized CubeSat will verify and demonstrate operations within a unique and groundbreaking cislunar orbit that will support NASA's Moon missions under Artemis.  Further, the mission will demonstrate a novel spacecraft-to-spacecraft navigation technology service called the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System (CAPS) developed and implemented by Advanced Space.

Key Points: 
  • Advanced Space leads the CAPSTONE mission for NASA and is the first commercial and privately-owned spacecraft mission to the Moon.
  • Further, the mission will demonstrate a novel spacecraft-to-spacecraft navigation technology service called the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System (CAPS) developed and implemented by Advanced Space.
  • "We are proud to lead CAPSTONE and the collaboration it represents with NASA and our industry partners," said Bradley Cheetham, Advanced Space chief executive officer and CAPSTONE principal investigator.
  • Advanced Space is dedicated to improving flight dynamics technology development and expedited turn-key missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.Learn more about what Advanced Space is creating; check out details on CAPSTONE.

CAPSTONE Satellite, Designed and Built by Terran Orbital, Successfully Deploys from Rocket Lab Lunar Photon into Lunar Transfer Orbit

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, July 7, 2022

Terran Orbital Corporation (NYSE: LLAP ), a global leader in satellite solutions, primarily serving the United States and Allied aerospace and defense industries, today announced the successful deployment of the CAPSTONE spacecraft from a Rocket Lab Lunar Photon into a Lunar Transfer Orbit.

Key Points: 
  • Terran Orbital Corporation (NYSE: LLAP ), a global leader in satellite solutions, primarily serving the United States and Allied aerospace and defense industries, today announced the successful deployment of the CAPSTONE spacecraft from a Rocket Lab Lunar Photon into a Lunar Transfer Orbit.
  • CAPSTONE is the first satellite to demonstrate operations of a Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO) around the Moon.
  • CAPSTONEs deployment follows six days of orbit-raising burns around Earth aboard Rocket Labs Lunar Photon spacecraft bus, since launching on an Electron launch vehicle from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in Mhia, New Zealand.
  • For real-time updates on the CAPSTONE mission, follow Terran Orbital, NASA, Rocket Lab, and Advanced Space on Twitter.

Rocket Lab Moon Mission for NASA a Success

Retrieved on: 
Monday, July 4, 2022

The CAPSTONE mission marks the beginning of humanitys return to the Moon through NASAs Artemis program and were incredibly proud that Rocket Lab has played a key role in that, said Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Peter Beck.

Key Points: 
  • The CAPSTONE mission marks the beginning of humanitys return to the Moon through NASAs Artemis program and were incredibly proud that Rocket Lab has played a key role in that, said Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Peter Beck.
  • First collaborative mission between Rocket Lab and Advanced Solutions Inc, a Colorado-based flight-software company acquired by Rocket Lab in late 2021.
  • Founded in 2006, Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company with an established track record of mission success.
  • Rocket Labs Photon spacecraft platform has been selected to support NASA missions to the Moon and Mars, as well as the first private commercial mission to Venus.

Advanced Space Announces CAPSTONE Separation To Start Solo Journey Mission to Moon for NASA

Retrieved on: 
Monday, July 4, 2022

WESTMINSTER, Colo., July 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Advanced Space LLC., a leading commercial space tech company pioneering the pathfinder mission, spacecraft separated from Rocket Lab's Photon upper stage today after its launch on June 28. The Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) spacecraft has orbited Earth while raising its position to be thrusted beyond low-Earth orbit on a trajectory to the Moon.  

Key Points: 
  • Advanced Space and Terran Orbital teams will take over operations for CAPSTONE as the spacecraft bids farewell to its ride from Rocket Lab.CAPSTONEis owned and operated byAdvanced Space on behalf of NASA.
  • "Our Advanced Space team has been prepared and ready to manage and navigate the CAPSTONE mission for months," stated Thomas Gardner, Advanced Space director of engineering and the CAPSTONE program manager.
  • "Over eleven years ago, we started Advanced Space with a purpose to enable the sustainable exploration, development, and settlement of space.
  • Advanced Space is dedicated to improving flight dynamics technology development and expedited turn-key missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.Learn more about what Advanced Space is creating; check out the CAPSTONE mission page.