The small CubeSat stopped communicating with the deep space network on Tuesday. The DSN is NASA’s network of radio antennas that supports interplanetary spacecraft missions as well as some missions in orbit around the Earth. CubeSat is the Operations and Technological Navigation Experiment of the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System, also known as CAPSTONE. The CAPSTONE team is working to re-establish contact and understand what caused the problem, according to a NASA statement. They have solid trajectory data from the first complete step and the second partial ground station of the deep space network, the agency said in a statement.
“If necessary, the mission has enough fuel to delay the initial maneuver to correct the post-separation trajectory for several days,” the agency said.
Leaving Earth’s orbit
The satellite left Earth’s orbit on Monday as planned, marking an important milestone in its four-month journey to the moon.
For the rest of his journey, he will rely on his own propulsion and the gravity of the sun. Gravity will allow the CubeSat to use much less fuel to reach its destination.
The mission was launched aboard the Rocket Lab Electron rocket from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand on 28 June.
The goal of CubeSats is to enter an elongated orbit, which is an almost rectilinear halo orbit, around the Moon for at least six months for research purposes.
The satellite’s orbit will take the spacecraft 1,000 miles (1,609.3 kilometers) from one lunar pole to its nearest step and 43,500 miles (70,006.5 kilometers) from the other pole every seven days.
The team hopes the satellite will be able to maintain its orbit, which could allow the agency to launch and place an advanced place in lunar orbit called Gateway. It would play a crucial role in its Artemis program by providing future spacecraft with an efficient path to and from the surface of the moon.
In addition, the small satellite will also test its communication capabilities. The orbit offers a view of the Earth while providing coverage to the lunar south pole, which is the scheduled landing point for Artemis astronauts in 2025.
The CubeSat will also communicate with NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbit, which has been revolving around the Moon for 13 years. It will act as a reference point for the satellite and allow scientists to measure the distance between the two space objects and where CAPSTONE is in the sky.
Space enthusiasts can track the satellite’s journey using NASA’s Eyes on the Solar System.