NASA’s CAPSTONE (Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment) mission achieved its main objective when the 12U CubeSat spacecraft made a braking burn to enter a near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) around the Moon. It completed this manoeuvre at 0039 GMT on 14 November.
The spacecraft had been heading back towards the Moon after being sent beyond it on a low Energy ballistic trajectory by the Lunar Photon Kickstage of its Electron launch on 28 June. In this orbit, the spacecraft will pass the Moon with its closest approach at 3,500 km and its furthest at 71,000 km. CAPSTONE thus becomes the first CubeSat class spacecraft in orbit around the Moon. It will remain in this special orbit for six months.
A more detailed account of the manoeuvre is available on SpaceNews here
Still from NASA animation showing CAPSTONE spacecraft in its special lunar halo orbit. Courtesy: NASA
