# CAPSTONE

> NASA satellite to test and verify the calculated orbital stability planned for Lunar Gateway

**Wikidata**: [Q85160256](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q85160256)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAPSTONE)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/capstone

## Summary
CAPSTONE (Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment) is a 25 kg NASA CubeSat lunar orbiter flown to test and verify the calculated orbital stability planned for the Lunar Gateway. The spacecraft was launched in 2022 on Rocket Lab's Electron vehicle and is intended to operate in a near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) about the Moon.

## Key Facts
- CAPSTONE is a NASA-operated spacecraft formally named Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment.
- Instance of: CubeSat (miniaturized satellite) and lunar orbiter.
- Mass: 25 kilograms.
- Launch date and time: 2022-06-28 at 09:55 (UTC recorded in source).
- Launch vehicle: Rocket Lab Electron.
- Launch contractor: Rocket Lab; start point listed as Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A (source records also include a significant launch event at Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B on 2022-06-28).
- Space tug used: Photon.
- Intended orbit: near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) about the Moon; parent astronomical body recorded as Moon from 2022-11-14.
- International identifiers: COSPAR ID 2022-070A; NSSDCA ID 2022-070A; Satellite Catalog Number (SCN) 52914.
- Common aliases: CAPSTONE; 月周回機; Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment; and several non-English variants.

## FAQs
### Q: What is the primary purpose of CAPSTONE?
A: CAPSTONE's primary purpose is to test and verify the calculated orbital stability planned for the Lunar Gateway by demonstrating operations in a near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) about the Moon.

### Q: When and how was CAPSTONE launched?
A: CAPSTONE was launched on 2022-06-28. The launch used Rocket Lab's Electron launch vehicle and the spacecraft rode on Rocket Lab's Photon space tug; the launch contractor was Rocket Lab.

### Q: How large and what class of spacecraft is CAPSTONE?
A: CAPSTONE is a CubeSat-class spacecraft with a mass of 25 kilograms and is classified as a lunar orbiter.

### Q: What are CAPSTONE's identifiers?
A: CAPSTONE's COSPAR ID and NSSDCA ID are both 2022-070A, and its Satellite Catalog Number (SCN) is 52914.

## Why It Matters
CAPSTONE matters because it provides an on-orbit test of orbital characteristics and navigation techniques relevant to the Lunar Gateway, a planned crew-capable outpost in cislunar space. By operating as a small, low-mass CubeSat in a near-rectilinear halo orbit, CAPSTONE demonstrates the feasibility of using miniaturized spacecraft and advanced navigation experiments to validate long-duration, dynamically complex lunar orbits. The mission also serves as an operational demonstration of a Photon space tug launch and provides practical experience for teams managing small, cost-effective lunar missions. These capabilities support broader goals for sustainable lunar infrastructure and future human and robotic operations near the Moon by reducing risk and informing design choices for Gateway-class spacecraft and trajectory planning.

## Notable For
- Being a NASA-operated CubeSat-class lunar orbiter tasked specifically to test orbital stability planned for the Lunar Gateway.
- Small spacecraft mass: 25 kilograms, demonstrating a low-mass approach to a lunar orbital mission.
- Use of Rocket Lab's Photon as the space tug combined with an Electron launch vehicle.
- Operation targeted to and recorded as a near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) about the Moon, with parent body recorded from 2022-11-14.
- Identified in international registers as COSPAR ID 2022-070A and SCN 52914.

## Body

### Overview
- Full name: Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE).
- Operator: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
- Primary mission objective: test and verify calculated orbital stability for the Lunar Gateway in a near-rectilinear halo orbit around the Moon.

### Design and classification
- Spacecraft class: CubeSat (miniaturized satellite made up of 10 cm-sided cubic modules) and lunar orbiter.
- Mass: 25 kg.
- Aliases and alternative names include CAPSTONE and multiple non-English transliterations and translations.

### Launch and delivery
- Launch date (recorded): 2022-06-28 at 09:55 (time qualifier in source).
- Launch vehicle: Electron (Rocket Lab).
- Launch contractor: Rocket Lab.
- Start point recorded as Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A. The structured data also records a significant rocket launch event at Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B on 2022-06-28.
- Space tug used for the mission: Photon.

### Orbit and mission timeline
- Intended and recorded orbital regime: near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) about the Moon.
- Parent astronomical body recorded as Moon, with a start time of 2022-11-14 in the source data.
- Purpose: demonstrate and validate orbital stability calculations associated with the planned Lunar Gateway orbit.

### Identifiers and cataloging
- COSPAR ID: 2022-070A.
- NSSDCA ID: 2022-070A.
- Satellite Catalog Number (SCN): 52914.
- Google Knowledge Graph ID: /g/11h57y2z8x.
- Wikimedia Commons image available: CAPSTONE facing the Sun (file referenced in source).

### Miscellaneous
- sitelink_count: 17 (number of links to other wiki pages in the source dataset).
- Languages recorded for the Wikipedia entry include: commons, de, en, es, fa, fr, he, it, ja, ko.

## References

1. Jonathan's Space Report
2. [Source](https://rocketlabcorp.com/missions/lunar/)
3. [Source](https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/02/15/nasa-picks-rocket-lab-to-launch-lunar-cubesat-mission/)