NASA Loses Contact With Capstone Satellite Heading For Moon – Update

NASA has lost contact with the Capstone satellite on its way to the moon. It is not yet clear how contact with the satellite was lost. The space agency is working on a solution.

So far, Capstone has made contact with NASA’s Deep Space Network twice. This happened first with the ground station in Madrid and later only partially with the DSN location in Goldstone, California. During these contact moments, the space agency knew in their own words gather enough data to approximate Capstone’s preliminary location and velocity. “If necessary, the space mission will have enough fuel to delay the first correction maneuver for days.”

NASA had planned to make an initial correction of the satellite’s flight path on Tuesday, but then lost contact with Capstone. The planned correction should prepare the satellite to more precisely enter the intended orbit around the moon. NASA has several such maneuvers planned. On Monday, the space agency successfully unfolded Capstone’s solar panels, after which the battery on board the satellite was charged.

Capstone is an important first step for the Artemis lunar program. With the mission, NASA eventually wants to put a space station in orbit around the moon. That space station, the Lunar Gateway, should again form the basis for future manned lunar missions. In preparation, the satellite must collect data about the specific elliptical orbit around the moon. For example, NASA wants to use measurements to find out how much fuel is needed to stay in the intended lunar orbit.

The Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment was launched from New Zealand on June 28 on a rocket from Rocket Lab. The satellite has been on its way to the moon ever since. It is expected to arrive there in November.

Update, 7:14 PM: NASA says that it has reconnected with Capstone. The space agency promises to provide more updates later.

Capstone. Source: NASA