NASA has officially announced a new demonstration mission called CAPSTONE 02, which will be an important step in preparing for future manned missions to the Moon. The main goal of this initiative is to develop key technologies necessary for ensuring the safety and efficiency of operations in near-Moon space. The mission is scheduled to launch in 2027, and it will involve two small satellites that will work closely together to conduct a series of experiments on autonomous navigation, communication, and complex rendezvous maneuvers between spacecraft. The mission development has been entrusted to Advanced Space, which will act as the general contractor.

The current mission is a direct continuation of the first CAPSTONE spacecraft, which was launched in 2022. This spacecraft made history as the first American commercial spacecraft to successfully operate in a near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) around the Moon, which is the trajectory that NASA has chosen for its future Gateway lunar outpost. During the previous mission, engineers tested autonomous navigation and communication systems in cis-lunar space and collected invaluable data on the spacecraft’s behavior and the stability of this specific orbit, laying the foundation for future experiments.

However, while CAPSTONE was focused solely on demonstrating the capabilities of operating in a selected orbit, CAPSTONE 02 takes the program to a whole new level, bringing it closer to the real-world scenarios of future expeditions. Two identical satellites, each weighing approximately 400 kilograms and built by Terran Orbital Systems, will perform a series of controlled rendezvous, formation flights, and rendezvous maneuvers. These experiments will provide critical information about how spacecraft behave under the complex and variable gravitational fields of both the Earth and the Moon.

The technologies developed during this demonstration will form the basis for future Artemis missions and will be an integral part of the infrastructure that NASA plans to deploy in the space between Earth and the Moon. Special attention is being paid to one of the most challenging stages of any lunar mission: the process of meeting two spacecraft in orbit. In the near future, for example, the Orion capsule will need to rendezvous with landers to transfer astronauts to the lunar surface. Unlike standard operations in Earth orbit, where gravitational conditions are more predictable, in cis-lunar space, the attraction of two celestial bodies acts on the spacecraft simultaneously, creating a much more complex dynamic environment and requiring fundamentally different approaches to navigation.

To accomplish this task, the CAPSTONE 02 mission will involve two satellites alternating between the roles of “chaser” and “target.” The engineers plan to test various configurations of rendezvous and co-orbital flight, utilizing a comprehensive set of tools, including optical sensors for visual monitoring, astrometric observations of star positions for spatial orientation, and ground-based measurements for data refinement. Additionally, the mission will serve as a testing ground for updated versions of NASA’s navigation software. The main innovation of this software is that it will allow spacecraft to determine their location relative to each other independently and in real time, significantly reducing the dependence on constant commands and adjustments from ground control stations, which is critical for deep space.