NASA's CAPSTONE spacecraft enters safe mode after facing issues during course correction

The NASA-funded CubeSat mission CAPSTONE has entered safe mode after the teams encountered an issue during the latest trajectory correction maneuver. Designed and built by Terran Orbital, the CubeSat is owned by Advanced Space on behalf of NASA and is currently on its way to the Moon to test a unique lunar orbit. The spacecraft was launched on June 28 from New Zealand using Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket. 

According to NASA, the issue surfaced on September 8 when the spacecraft was executing its third course-correction maneuver and the telemetry data obtained by the mission teams confirmed that it was put into safe mode at the end of the maneuver.

(CAPSTONE CubeSat; Image: NASA)

“The CAPSTONE mission team has good knowledge of the state and status of the spacecraft. The mission operations team is in contact with the spacecraft and working towards a solution with support from the Deep Space Network”, NASA said in its statement.

The Deep Space Network (DSN) is an array of three massive radio stations in California (US), Madrid (Spain), and Canberra (Australia) which communicate with a spacecraft in space. 

The issue is said to be similar to what the spacecraft experienced a few hours after it was propelled toward the Moon on July 5. Advanced Space, on the other hand, said that the teams at the DSN have begun the anomaly resolution and confirmed that CAPSTONE is on its planned course to the Moon. “The mission operations team is in contact with the vehicle and working to resolve the anomaly. As resolution efforts progress, more updates will be provided”. 

CAPSTONE mission explained

Short for Cis-lunar Autonomous Positioning Systems Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, CAPSTONE has been launched to test the non-rectilinear Halo Orbit around the Moon. This orbit will be used by NASA to install the Lunar Gateway, a space station in the lunar orbit, which would enhance access to the Moon during the Artemis Program. 

The CubeSat, which weighs no more than 25 kg, would also test an autonomous navigation technology for usage in future missions. According to the planned schedule, the CubeSat will enter the lunar orbit on November 13.