Electron launches CAPSTONE lunar cubesat
Posted: Sat, Jul 2, 2022, 12:42 PM ET (1642 GMT)
A Rocket Lab Electron launched a NASA lunar cubesat mission this morning. The Electron lifted off from the company's New Zealand launch site at 5:55 a.m. Eastern and placed into orbit the CAPSTONE cubesat and its Photon kick stage. The Photon will fire its HyperCurie engine several times over the next six days to place CAPSTONE on a trajectory to the moon. CAPSTONE, short for Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, will enter the near-rectilinear halo orbit NASA plans to use for Artemis missions in November, testing its stability and as well as autonomous positioning technologies.
A Rocket Lab Electron launched a NASA lunar cubesat mission this morning. The Electron lifted off from the company's New Zealand launch site at 5:55 a.m. Eastern and placed into orbit the CAPSTONE cubesat and its Photon kick stage. The Photon will fire its HyperCurie engine several times over the next six days to place CAPSTONE on a trajectory to the moon. CAPSTONE, short for Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, will enter the near-rectilinear halo orbit NASA plans to use for Artemis missions in November, testing its stability and as well as autonomous positioning technologies.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Wednesday, March 11
Firefly Rocket Launch at Vandenberg Delayed for Second Day in a Row
Noozhawk — 6:53 am ET (1053 GMT) A meteor soared across Europe—and possibly hit a house
Popular Science — 6:52 am ET (1052 GMT) The tiny lens antenna with big potential
ESA — 6:52 am ET (1052 GMT) Starlink’s Pricing Shift: A Bait and Switch for General Aviation
Flying — 6:52 am ET (1052 GMT) Kenyan regulator audits Starlink’s D2C service for interference issues
Developing Telecoms — 6:51 am ET (1051 GMT) |
