Nasa launched a tiny CubeSat this week for testing and orbit, which will soon be used by Gateway, a lunar space station. Everything is part of the space agency’s plan to put a woman on the moon by 2025. The Cislunar Autonomous Positioning Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (Capstone) mission started from New Zealand on Tuesday. Jim Reuter, deputy managing director of the Space Technology Mission, said: “Capstone is an example of how working with business partners is key to NASA’s ambitious plans to explore the Moon and beyond. “We are excited about the successful launch of the mission and look forward to what Capstone will do once it reaches the Moon.” Read more: Astronomers have found the nearest black hole on Earth The satellite is currently in low orbit on Earth and will take the spacecraft about four months to reach its targeted lunar orbit. Capstone is connected to the Rocket Lab’s lunar photon, an interplanetary third stage that will send it on its way into deep space. Over the next six days, Photon’s engine will periodically ignite to accelerate it beyond low-Earth orbit, where Photon will release CubeSat into orbit around the moon. Capstone will then use the sun’s own propulsion and gravity to navigate the rest of the way to the Moon. The gravity-driven orbit will dramatically reduce the amount of fuel CubeSat needs to reach the Moon. Read more: There may once have been life on the moon Bradley Cheetham, lead researcher at CAPSTONE and CEO of Advanced Space, said: “Our team is now preparing for the separation and the initial acquisition of the spacecraft in six days. “We have already learned a lot to get to this point and we are passionate about the importance of people returning to the Moon, this time to stay!” On the moon, Capstone will enter an elongated orbit called an almost straight halo or NRHO. Once on the NRHO, Capstone will fly 1,000 miles from the Moon’s north pole to its nearest passage and 43,500 miles from the South Pole to its farthest. The story goes on He will repeat the cycle every six and a half days and maintain this trajectory for at least six months to study the dynamics. “The Capstone is a path detector in many ways and will demonstrate several technological capabilities during its mission, while navigating an orbit it had never flown around the Moon before,” said Elwood Agasid, Capstone Project Manager at Nasa Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California. Valley. “Capstone lays the foundation for Artemis, Gateway and commercial support for future lunar operations.” Nasa estimates the cost of the entire Artemis mission at $ 28 billion. It would be the first time humans have walked on the moon since Apollo last landed on the moon in 1972. Only 12 people have walked on the moon – all men. NASA carried out six manned missions to the moon, starting with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in July 1969, to Gene Sernan and Jack Smith in December 1972. The mission will use NASA’s powerful new rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS) and the Orion spacecraft. Watch: NASA launch paves way for lunar orbiting station
