NASA's CAPSTONE CubeSat probe arrived in orbit above the moon Sunday night, a big victory for the space agency after a major engine malfunction during the summer nearly ruined the project.
NASA's CAPSTONE CubeSat probe arrived in orbit above the moon Sunday night, a big victory for the space agency after a major engine malfunction during the summer nearly ruined the project.
NASA’s CAPSTONE CubeSat probe arrived in orbit above the moon Sunday night, a big victory for the space agency after a major engine malfunction during the summer nearly ruined the project.
CAPSTONE needed to fire its engines twice more to return to the moon, where it entered a highly elliptical near rectilinear halo orbit, or NRHO, about 7:39 p.m., according to NASA.
The news came on the heels of a flurry of recent test missions that laid the scene for astronauts to return to the lunar surface for the first time in more than 50 years.
The 55-pound spacecraft, which resembles a microwave oven, was rendered inoperable for several weeks after a failed engine burn launched it into space on Sept. 8.
Back on Earth, mission control needed until early October to repair the propulsion system and steady the orbiter, which was restarted approximately two weeks ago after resurfacing 69,000 miles off track.
Back on Earth, mission control needed until early October to repair the propulsion system and steady the orbiter, which was restarted approximately two weeks ago after resurfacing 69,000 miles off track.
Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment is abbreviated as CAPSTONE. The probe is being used to estimate the orbit of a future space station called Gateway, which NASA hopes to float around the moon as part of the Artemis program’s initial phase.
The mission, which debuted on June 28, appeared to be cursed from the start.
Early in the voyage, ground control lost touch with the probe after it mistakenly jettisoned a supplementary crew ship, but technicians soon identified and corrected the fault in a coding command that had been erroneously formatted.
The mission is planned to extend at least six months now that the probe is back on course, with the probe setting the path for Gateway as well as undertaking navigation and communication tests in collaboration with NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
According to NASA’s blog, “Artemis is the first step in the next phase of human exploration.” “NASA, in collaboration with commercial and international partners, will build a long-term presence on the Moon in order to prepare for Mars missions.”
The mission is planned to extend at least six months now that the probe is back on course, with the probe setting the path for Gateway as well as undertaking navigation and communication tests in collaboration with NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
