CUBESAT

For: Preliminary & Mains

Topics covered: About CubeSat mission

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News Flash

NASA plans on landing American astronauts on the Moon by 2024 through its Artemis mission.

In this direction, the agency has given a contract to a firm for developing and operating a lunar orbital CubeSat mission that will be launched as early as December 2020.

 

Cubesat mission

• The CubeSat mission which is called Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE), is going to be what NASA calls a “pathfinder mission” for the Gateway – an orbiting outpost that astronauts will visit before descending to the surface of the Moon.
• The CAPSTONE is expected to be the first-ever spacecraft to operate in a near rectilinear halo orbit around the Moon.
• In this particular orbit, the CubeSat will pass as close as 1,000 miles and as far as 43,500 miles from the surface of the Moon.
• The CAPSTONE will be demonstrating on how to enter into and operate in this unique orbit as well as test a new navigation capability.
• This particular information will help in ensuring that NASA and international partners have a safe access to the surface of the Moon.
• After its launch in 2020, CAPSTONE will be taking nearly three months to enter its target orbit and begin a six-month primary demonstration phase to understand operations in this unique regime.
• It will provide NASA and its partners with important insights to support the exploration of the Moon and Mars, including:

1. demonstration of spacecraft-to-spacecraft navigation services,
2. verification of near rectilinear halo orbit characteristics for future spacecraft,
3. experience entering this orbit with a highly efficient lunar transfer and more

 

Source: Indian Express

 

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