Westminster, CO. (June 23, 2022) – Advanced Space LLC, the commercial aerospace company that owns and operates the CAPSTONE mission bound for the Moon in support of NASA TV will show the launch live from the Rocket Lab launch pad in Mahia, New Zealand. The launch is at 6:00 a.m. ET with programming beginning at 5:00 a.m. ET. CAPSTONE stands for the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Equipment, which will be the first spacecraft to demonstrate the unique lunar orbit that will be used by NASA’s Gateway, the lunar outpost astronauts will visit ahead of descending to the surface of the Moon as part of the Artemis program.
WHO: Advanced Space, NASA and Rocket Lab
WHAT: CAPSTONE Mission to the Moon live launch
WHERE: Live coverage on NASA Television, the agency’s website, and the NASA app.
WHEN: Monday, June 27, 2022 at 5 a.m.
More details:
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-sets-live-launch-coverage-for-capstone-mission-to-moon
About CAPSTONE:
CAPSTONE is owned and operated by Advanced Space. It is expected to be the first CubeSat to fly in cislunar space – the orbital area near and around the Moon – and demonstrate an innovative spacecraft-to-spacecraft navigation technology. The mission is scheduled to launch on Monday, June 27th. Critical partners in the CAPSTONE mission include:
NASA: CAPSTONE’s development is supported by the Space Technology Mission Directorate via the Small Spacecraft Technology and Small Business Innovation Research programs at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. The Artemis Campaign Development Division within NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate supports the launch and mission operations. NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for launch management. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory supported the communication, tracking, and telemetry downlink via NASA’s Deep Space Network, Iris radio design and groundbreaking 1-way navigation algorithms.
Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, Inc., a Terran Orbital Corporation: Spacecraft design, development and implementation, hardware manufacturing, assembly, testing and mission operations support.
Stellar Exploration: Propulsion subsystem provider.
Rocket Lab USA, Inc.: Launch provider launching CAPSTONE on a three-stage Electron launch vehicle.
Space Dynamics Lab (SDL): Iris radio and navigation firmware provider.
Orion Space Solutions (formerly Astra): Chip Scale Atomic Clock (CSAC) hardware provider necessary for the 1-way ranging experiment.
Tethers Unlimited, Inc.: Cross Link radio provider.
About Advanced Space:
Advanced Space (https://advancedspace.com/) supports the exploration, development, and settlement of space through software and services that leverage unique subject matter expertise to improve the fundamentals of spaceflight. Advanced Space is dedicated to improving flight dynamics technology development and expedited turn-key missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Learn more about what Advanced Space is creating; check out details on the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations Navigation Experiment mission page.
