Advanced Space Wins NASA's CAPSTONE 02 Mission to Advance Cislunar Navigation

NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration has selected Advanced Space to lead the CAPSTONE 02 mission, a 2027 technology demonstration designed to advance key capabilities needed for Artemis, Moon Base, and future deep space exploration.

Building on the success of the original CAPSTONE mission, CAPSTONE 02 will deploy two 400-kilogram spacecraft built by Terran Orbital Corporation into lunar orbit to demonstrate rendezvous and proximity operations, autonomous navigation, cislunar communications, and formation flying in the complex gravitational environment between Earth and the Moon.

The mission will test advanced navigation techniques that could one day enable astronauts to safely rendezvous and dock with lunar landers in cislunar space.

Each spacecraft will alternate between "chaser" and "target" roles while using optical sensors, celestial navigation, and inter-satellite positioning to autonomously locate and approach one another without relying solely on Earth-based tracking.

CAPSTONE 02 will also serve as a flight testbed for three NASA-developed navigation software suites, including further demonstrations of the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System (CAPS), which allows spacecraft to determine their positions relative to one another without continuous support from ground stations.

An optical imaging payload from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory will also capture lunar imagery while supporting the navigation demonstrations.

According to NASA, the mission represents the next step in building the operational technologies required for long-term lunar infrastructure.

The mission is funded by NASA's Human Spaceflight Mission Directorate with support from the Research and Technology Mission Directorate and will be managed by the Small Spacecraft & Distributed Systems program at NASA's Ames Research Center.

Image Credits: Advanced Space