CAPSTONE, NASA's tiny Moon probe exits safe mode; completes trajectory correction maneuver

NASA's CAPSTONE, short for Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, has exited safe mode and is on track to arrive at its destination. The spacecraft completed a trajectory correction maneuver on Thursday, October 27, teeing up its arrival to a special lunar orbit on November 13 - just two weeks away.

The Moon-bound spacecraft entered safe mode due to a valve-related issue after executing a planned trajectory correction maneuver on September 8, 2022.

"The mission team will design future maneuvers to work around the affected valve, including the two remaining trajectory correction maneuvers scheduled before CAPSTONE's arrival to orbit at the Moon," NASA said in a statement on Monday.

MISSION UPDATE: Our #CAPSTONE spacecraft completed a successful trajectory correction maneuver on Oct. 27. The #CubeSat is no longer in safe mode and remains on track for arrival to lunar orbit on Nov. 13: https://t.co/FGVWxYmhTg pic.twitter.com/siFIrrQBy5

— NASA Ames (but Halloween-y 👻) (@NASAAmes) October 31, 2022

The CAPSTONE mission launched on June 28, 2022, aboard a Rocket Lab's Electron rocket from the company's Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. The mission is designed to test the dynamics of a near rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) by demonstrating how to enter into and operate in this special orbit - the intended orbit for Gateway, a lunar space station that will support NASA's Artemis program.

CAPSTONE will perform two more trajectory correction maneuvers before reaching its intended destination. The tiny probe will orbit this area around the Moon for at least six months to understand the characteristics of the orbit.

The mission is owned by Advanced Space on behalf of NASA and operations are performed jointly by teams at Advanced Space and Terran Orbital.

"The CAPSTONE team at Advanced Space, Terran Orbital, and their partners has shown great resilience over the past several weeks. Now, as CAPSTONE approaches lunar orbit, we are looking forward to getting into more of the technology demonstrations that are part of this mission and gathering operational data with the spacecraft in orbit at the Moon," said Christopher Baker, program executive for the Small Spacecraft Technology program in NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate.