Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the Company”), a leading space and launch systems company, confirmed today that its Photon Lunar spacecraft has successfully brought NASA’s CAPSTONE satellite to the Moon with the completion of its fourth orbiting maneuver.
After CAPSTONE was successfully delivered into space with the Electron rocket and Rocket Lab’s Photon Lunar spacecraft, NASA’s CubeSat remains connected to Photon, as it periodically ignites its HyperCurie engine to accelerate the mission beyond. of the Earth or the Earth.
Today, Photon has successfully completed its fourth orbit-raising maneuver to bring CAPSTONE closer to the Moon, the second of two maneuvers completed in the same 24-hour period. After the next few days and successive burns of the HyperCurie engine, Photon will launch CAPSTONE on a ballistic lunar transfer trajectory to the Moon, from which Advanced Space (which owns and operates CAPSTONE on behalf of NASA) will take over the mission. CAPSTONE.
ABOUT CAPSTONE:
The Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System (CAPSTONE) navigation and technology operations experiment was successfully launched into space in the Rocket Lab and CloseCurlyQuote electron launch vehicle at 09:55 UTC on 28 June.
Designed and built by Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, a Terran Orbital Corporation, and owned and operated by Advanced Space on behalf of NASA, the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) CubeSat will be the first spacecraft to test the Near. Halo Rectilinear Orbit (NRHO) around the Moon. This is the same orbit destined for NASA’s Gateway & CloseCurlyQuote, a multipurpose station in orbiting the Moon that will provide essential support for long-term astronaut lunar missions as part of the Artemis program.
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+ About Rocket Lab
Founded in 2006, Rocket Lab is a state-of-the-art space company with a well-established track record of mission success. We offer reliable launch services, satellite manufacturing, spacecraft components and in-orbit management solutions that make it faster, easier and more affordable to access space. Based in Long Beach, California, Rocket Lab designs and manufactures the Electron small orbital launch vehicle and the Photon satellite platform and is developing the 8-tonne Neutron payload class launch vehicle. Since its first orbital launch in January 2018, Rocket Lab & CloseCurlyQuote’s electron launch vehicle has become the second most recently launched rocket in the United States and has delivered 147 satellites into orbit for public sector organizations. and private, allowing operations in national security, scientific research and space. waste mitigation, Earth observation, climate monitoring and communications. Rocket Lab & CloseCurlyQuote’s Photon spacecraft platform has been selected to support NASA’s missions to the Moon and Mars, as well as the first private commercial mission to Venus. Rocket Lab has three launch sites at two launch sites, including two at a private orbital launch site located in New Zealand and a second launch site in Virginia, USA, which is expected to become operational in 2022. To obtain more information, visit www. rocketlabusa.com.
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