NASA has reported a serious communications issue with its CAPSTONE mission, which was intended to test an orbit for future lunar exploration plans. Following its launch by an Electron rocket on 28 June, after a series of burns, the Lunar Photon converted kick stage managed to put itself and the CAPSTONE spacecraft on course for the Moon. Separation of CAPSTONE occurred on 4 July at 0718 GMT, allowing the Lunar Photon to start its secondary mission as a spacecraft in its own right. However, after the separation and deployment of its solar arrays on 5 July, all downlink communications from the spacecraft to the Deep Space Network failed.
Update on 6 July 2022: CAPSTONE’s downlink has now been recovered.
Still from NASA animation showing CAPSTONE spacecraft in its special lunar halo orbit. Courtesy: NASA
The planned trajectory correction manoeuvre to allow the spacecraft to slowly reach its planned Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit in the vicinity of the Moon in November has been delayed. However, the satellite has enough fuel to do this.
CAPSTONE (Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment), is a 12U cubesat-class NASA Lunar orbiter built by Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems. It’s main mission is to test the orbit that the Lunar Gateway human-tended lunar space station will use. CAPSTONE is commercially owned and operated by Advanced Space in Westminster, Colorado. The company operates the spacecraft on behalf of NASA, which is funding the mission.
