Advanced Space LLC, the commercial aerospace company that owns and operates the CAPSTONE mission to the Moon in support of NASA will separate from the Rocket Lab Lunar Photon vehicle on Monday, July 4, 2022 to begin its journey via Ballistic Lunar Transfer to to reach the Moon in November. CAPSTONE stands for Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Equipment, which will be the first spacecraft to demonstrate the unique lunar orbit used by NASA’s Gateway, the lunar outpost that astronauts will visit before descent on the surface of the Moon as part of the Artemis program. WHERE: Advanced Space, NASA, Terran Orbital and Rocket Lab WHAT: Separation of CAPSTONE spacecraft from a photon WHERE: Space – on the Moon (Iberian Peninsula – near Spain, location relative to Earth) WHEN: Monday, July 4, 2022 at ~1:15am About CAPSTONE: CAPSTONE is owned and operated by Advanced Space. It is expected to be the first CubeSat to fly into lunar space – the orbital region near and around the Moon – and will demonstrate an innovative spacecraft-to-spacecraft navigation technology. The mission started on Tuesday, June 28th. Critical partners in the CAPSTONE mission include: NASA: CAPSTONE’s development is supported by the Space Technology Mission Directorate through the Small Spacecraft Technology Research and Small Business Innovation Research programs at NASA’s Ames Research Center. The Artemis Campaign Development Directorate in NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate supports launch and mission operations. NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center is responsible for managing the launch. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory supported downlink communication, tracking, and telemetry through NASA’s Deep Space Network, Iris radio design, and pioneering 1-way navigation algorithms. Terran Orbital Corporation: Spaceship designed and built. Stellar Exploration: Propulsion Subsystem Provider. Rocket Lab USA, Inc.: Launch Provider. Space Dynamics Lab (SDL): Provider of Iris radio and navigation firmware. Orion Space Solutions (formerly Astra): provider of Chip Scale Atomic Clock (CSAC) hardware for the Unidirectional Range Experiment. Tethers Unlimited, Inc.: Provider of Cross Link Radio. Morehead State University (MSU): Provides telemetry, tracking and control services through NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN). About Advanced Space: Advanced Space (supports the exploration, development, and settlement of space through software and services that leverage unique subject matter expertise to improve the fundamentals of spaceflight. Advanced Space is dedicated to advancing the technological development of dynamic flight and accelerated missions turnkey to the Moon, Mars and beyond Learn more about what Advanced Space is creating, check out the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Navigation Experiment mission page. // end // More news releases and status reports or top stories.
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