NASA’s CAPSTONE CubeSat to arrive at lunar orbit

NASA’s CAPSTONE CubeSat to arrive at lunar orbit

NASA’s CAPSTONE mission will reach the Moon on November 13, becoming the first spacecraft to enter into a special elongate orbit that could support future space missions. The microwave oven-sized satellite weighs just around 25 kilograms and will also become the first CubeSat to fly and operate on the Moon. A trajectory correction manoeuvre on […]

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NASA’s CAPSTONE CubeSat to arrive at lunar orbit

NASA stops CAPSTONE spacecraft from spinning out of control

After a trajectory correction manoeuvre on September 8, NASA’s CAPSTONE spacecraft suffered an issue that caused it to spin so fast that the onboard reaction wheel could not control or counter it. CAPSTONE team members successfully completed an operation to stop it from spinning on October 7. Data from CAPSTONE suggests that the most likely […]

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Space news weekly recap: Swimming robots in space, China maps Mars and much more

Space news weekly recap: Swimming robots in space, China maps Mars and much more

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced that its Tianwen-1 orbiter had mapped the entire surface of Mars but that is just the tip of the iceberg of the most interesting space news that happened over the last week. From a communications blackout with a NASA spacecraft to a new waste disposal technique at the […]

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NASA reestablishes communications with CAPSTONE after blackout

NASA reestablishes communications with CAPSTONE after blackout

NASA mission operators have successfully reestablished contact with the CAPSTONE spacecraft after a short communications blackout. After CAPSTONE’s launch on July 4, the spacecraft successfully deployed its solar arrays and stabilised itself. It had also begun charging its onboard battery and had readied its propulsion systems for its first manoeuvre. It made initial contact with […]

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NASA reestablishes communications with CAPSTONE after blackout

NASA satellite breaks from orbit around Earth, heads to moon

A satellite the size of a microwave oven successfully broke free from its orbit around Earth on Monday and is headed toward the moon, the latest step in NASA’s plan to land astronauts on the lunar surface again. It’s been an unusual journey already for the Capstone satellite. It was launched six days ago from […]

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Artemis program: Here’s how NASA plans to return to the Moon

Artemis program: Here’s how NASA plans to return to the Moon

NASA’s Artemis mission aims to put humans back on the moon for the first time after the Apollo 17 mission, fifty years ago. The space agency has built the most powerful rocket ever, the Space Launch System (SLS), which will carry all the spacecraft part of Artemis missions. The Artemis missions will also send the […]

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NASA reestablishes communications with CAPSTONE after blackout

NASA CAPSTONE launch to the Moon right now: Here’s where to watch livestream

After multiple delays, NASA will finally be launching the CAPSTONE (Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment) mission to the Moon at 5.55 AM EDT (3.25 PM IST) on June 28. You can live stream the launch at the link where NASA will be streaming the launch in New Zealand, along with live […]

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NASA reestablishes communications with CAPSTONE after blackout

NASA CAPSTONE launch to the moon delayed again

NASA, Rocket Lab and Advanced Space are standing down from the launch of the CAPSTONE (Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment) mission planned for June 27. The teams are evaluating weather and other factors to determine a date for the next launch opportunity. The next launch opportunity for the mission within the […]

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NASA’s return to the Moon starts with launching a microwave-size cube

NASA’s return to the Moon starts with launching a microwave-size cube

In the coming years, NASA will be busy at the moon. A giant rocket will loft a capsule with no astronauts aboard around the moon and back, perhaps before the end of summer. A parade of robotic landers will drop off experiments on the moon to collect reams of scientific data, especially about water ice […]

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