NASA’s small satellite “Capstone” has reached its destination on the moon four months after launch. The U.S. space agency announced on Sunday evening (local time) that it had orbited into its intended lunar orbit over the weekend.
The 22.6 x 22.6 x 34 centimeter rocket, which has two solar panels for power, will now orbit the moon in the orbit needed for the planned lunar space station “Gateway” (pictured below), which in orbit around the Earth’s satellite is provided. In this way, possible risks for the station must be ruled out in advance.
Mini-satellite launched in June
“Capstone” (Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment) was launched from New Zealand in late June aboard an “Electron” rocket from Rocket Lab. The 25 kilogram satellite cost $13.7 million and was built by California-based Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems. The test is part of the ambitious “Artemis” program, which aims to land American astronauts back on the moon.
The space station “Gateway”, in which the European space agency ESA is also involved, should serve as an intermediate station for manned missions to the moon – and later possibly also as a station for missions to Mars.
Source: Krone
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