(Updated) NASA's CAPSTONE starts solo journey to the Moon; will test never-before-flown orbit

NASA's Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) has left low-Earth orbit and started its solo journey to the Moon. The mission launched on Rocket Lab's Electron rocket from the Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula of New Zealand, Tuesday, June 28.

Rocket Lab's Photon upper stage maneuvered the microwave-sized spacecraft into position for its journey to the Moon. Now, CAPSTONE will use its own propulsion and the Sun's gravity to navigate the rest of the way to the Moon, a four-month journey that will have the spacecraft inserting into its near rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) around the Moon on November 13, according to NASA.

The spacecraft will orbit this unique elliptical orbit around the Moon for at least six months to test its dynamics, helping reduce the risk for future spacecraft. Researchers expect NRHO to be a gravitational sweet spot in space – where the pull of gravity from Earth and the Moon interact to allow for a nearly stable orbit – allowing physics to do most of the work of keeping a spacecraft in lunar orbit.

MISSION UPDATE: Separation success! Our #CAPSTONE spacecraft has released from @RocketLab’s Photon upper stage and started its solo journey to the Moon. The pathfinder is scheduled to arrive at its lunar orbit on Nov. 13. Learn more: https://t.co/hAkb461nmg pic.twitter.com/hDbeQ1XHQu

— NASA Ames (@NASAAmes) July 4, 2022

The CAPSTONE mission serves as a pathfinder for the orbit planned for Gateway - the future lunar space station astronauts will visit during NASA's upcoming Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond.

Update

Following the start of spacecraft commissioning on July 4, CAPSTONE experienced communications issues while in contact with the Deep Space Network. The mission teams are working to re-establish contact with the spacecraft, NASA said on Tuesday, adding that the mission has enough fuel to delay the initial post separation trajectory correction manoeuvre for several days, if needed.