Jun 28, 2022 - Science

Small NASA satellite launches on big mission to orbit the Moon

Miriam Kramer

A rocket launching from New Zealand in the dark — The Electron rocket carrying the CAPSTONE satellite. Photo: Rocket Lab

A tiny spacecraft designed to help prove NASA's plans to create a sustainable presence on the Moon launched on its mission Tuesday.

Why it matters: NASA hopes to send people back to the Moon as part of its Artemis program by 2025.

Driving the news: The small launcher company Rocket Lab sent the CAPSTONE spacecraft on its journey to circle the Moon, marking the company's first Moon launch.

CAPSTONE will use a unique orbit that hasn't been tested before.
NASA hopes to eventually place its Gateway space station — designed to be a jumping-off point for human missions to the lunar surface — in that same orbit, but CAPSTONE will help them figure out if it's possible first.
The spacecraft is also expected to test out key technology that could allow probes in orbit around the Moon one day to communicate with one another and navigate in tandem.
It will take CAPSTONE about four months to reach its orbit around the Moon.

The big picture: NASA is putting together the pieces it will need to make Artemis happen.

The space agency recently declared the "wet dress rehearsal" for its uncrewed Artemis I mission a success, paving the way for its launch in the not-too-distant future.
NASA also awarded two contracts to private companies to build spacesuits the agency's astronauts will use on the surface of the Moon.

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Small NASA satellite launches on big mission to orbit the Moon

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