NASA funds the CubeSat Pathfinder mission in a single lunar orbit

The Pathfinder mission represents a lunar fast flight demonstration and could be launched as early as December 2020. CAPSTONE will show how to enter and operate this orbit, as well as test a new navigation capability. This information will help reduce logistical uncertainties for Gateway, as NASA and its international partners work to ensure that astronauts have secure access to the moon's surface. It will also provide a platform for scientific and technological demonstrations.

"This is an exciting opportunity for NASA to aggressively advance to the moon, in partnership with several small US companies, an avant-garde of Artemis and a sustainable human presence in the world." orbiting low Earth orbit, "said Jim Reuter, deputy administrator of NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate. . "This mission is very ambitious in terms of cost and schedule – and taking this deliberate risk is part of the purpose of this mission – in parallel with the rapid technological progress of navigation by cunéaire and the ability to verify the assumptions of orbital trajectory and solve the unknowns for future missions. "

The 12-unit CubeSat is about the size of a small microwave oven. Onboard is a communication system capable of determining the distance between NASA's NASA Reconnaissance Orbiter's CAPSTONE and the speed with which the distance between the two spacecraft evolves. The inter-ship information will be used to demonstrate autonomous navigation software, allowing future missions to determine their location without having to rely exclusively on tracking from the Earth.

CAPSTONE will provide NASA and its partners with important information to support the exploration of the Moon and Mars, including:

• Demonstration of satellite satellite navigation services
• Verification of almost straight-line halo orbit characteristics for future spacecraft
• Experience entering this orbit with a very effective lunar transfer
• Carpooling experience or small launches dedicated to the moon
• Business Experience in Providing Mission Planning and Operations Support Services for CubeSats Beyond the Earth
• Fast commercial delivery of a CubeSat mission beyond Earth's orbit

"CAPSTONE offers a lot in a small package," said Bradley Cheetham, CEO of Advanced Space. "Not only will this pave the way for Artemis, but it will also demonstrate critical business capabilities for exploration.Our team will create advanced tools for mission planning and operations to enable the growth of future missions. on the Moon, Mars and throughout the solar system ".

A number of launch options are possible for the mission, including being the main payload of a small spacecraft launcher. After launch, CAPSTONE will take approximately three months to enter its target orbit and begin a six-month main demonstration phase to understand the operations in this unique scheme.

The award to Advanced Space takes place through a Phase III Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract, following previous SBIR awards that have developed the 39, CAPSTONE navigation system and standalone positioning experience.

The CAPSTONE team includes Advanced Space and Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, Inc. of Irvine, California. The project is managed by NASA's Small Spatecraft Technology (SST) program within the agency's space technology mission direction. Based at NASA's Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California, SST expands US capability to execute unique missions by rapidly developing and demonstrating small space capabilities applicable to exploration sectors. , science and commercial space. The Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) of Human Exploration Mission Management and NASA Operations will fund the launch and support mission operations. AES participates in activities focused on advanced design, development and demonstration of exploration capabilities to reduce risk, reduce life-cycle cost and validate operational concepts for future human missions.

NASA's Artemis lunar exploration program includes sending a series of new scientific instruments and technology demonstrations to study the moon, landing the first woman and the next man on the moon's surface. Here 2024 and establishing a sustainable presence by 2028. The agency will rely on its Artemis experience and technologies to prepare for the next giant leap: send astronauts to Mars.