In the following years, NASA will be hard at work on its new 21st-century
moon program, Artemis. They plan to launch a capsule into space to orbit
around the moon before the end of summer. Artemis also envisions the
launch of robotic landers which will drop off experiments on the moon, and in
a few years, astronauts will finally step foot on the moon, more than 50 years
after the first moon landing.
The first phase of the Artemis mission is to launch a cubic shaped spacecraft
known as CAPSTONE into space, as soon as this week. However, CAPSTONE
isn’t some cutting-edge robotic lander, but rather a tiny spacecraft the size of
a microwave.
The full name of CAPSTONE is the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System
Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment. The purpose of this
mission is to serve as a scout orbiting around the moon, searching for a place
to construct a lunar outpost. This lunar outpost will be known as Gateway and
is one of the later stages of Artemis.
What’s interesting about CAPSTONE is that NASA did not build or design
CAPSTONE and will not operate it either. In fact, NASA doesn’t even own it.
This is because NASA hired a freelancing company known as Advanced Space
located in Denver to create CAPSTONE.
This is great for NASA as it is trying to collaborate with private companies
such as Advanced Space with the hopes of getting technology at a lower
cost. Another example of this strategy working is NASA’s use of SpaceX to
ferry cargo and astronauts to and from the International Space Station at a much
lower cost than the agency’s now defunct shuttle program.
CAPSTONE has already been launched into space from New Zealand, and now NASA
awaits its safe arrival into orbit with the moon.
moon program, Artemis. They plan to launch a capsule into space to orbit
around the moon before the end of summer. Artemis also envisions the
launch of robotic landers which will drop off experiments on the moon, and in
a few years, astronauts will finally step foot on the moon, more than 50 years
after the first moon landing.
The first phase of the Artemis mission is to launch a cubic shaped spacecraft
known as CAPSTONE into space, as soon as this week. However, CAPSTONE
isn’t some cutting-edge robotic lander, but rather a tiny spacecraft the size of
a microwave.
The full name of CAPSTONE is the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System
Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment. The purpose of this
mission is to serve as a scout orbiting around the moon, searching for a place
to construct a lunar outpost. This lunar outpost will be known as Gateway and
is one of the later stages of Artemis.
What’s interesting about CAPSTONE is that NASA did not build or design
CAPSTONE and will not operate it either. In fact, NASA doesn’t even own it.
This is because NASA hired a freelancing company known as Advanced Space
located in Denver to create CAPSTONE.
This is great for NASA as it is trying to collaborate with private companies
such as Advanced Space with the hopes of getting technology at a lower
cost. Another example of this strategy working is NASA’s use of SpaceX to
ferry cargo and astronauts to and from the International Space Station at a much
lower cost than the agency’s now defunct shuttle program.
CAPSTONE has already been launched into space from New Zealand, and now NASA
awaits its safe arrival into orbit with the moon.
