CAPSTONE 02A, 02B

CAPSTONE 02A, 02B [Terran Orbital]

CAPSTONE 02 (Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment) is a NASA technology demonstration mission consisting of two small spacecraft designed to demonstrate rendezvous and proximity operations, autonomous navigation and cislunar communications in lunar orbit. The spacecraft will also characterize the lunar radiation environment and test navigation technologies for future Artemis missions.

CAPSTONE 02 is intended to demonstrate a scalable approach to cislunar infrastructure, with autonomous navigation and inter-satellite coordination reducing the need for routine space-to-ground operations. The results will support future lunar and deep-space missions under NASA’s Artemis program.

The two identical spacecraft, developed by Terran Orbital Systems, will each have a mass of approximately 400 kilograms and will operate in lunar orbit, performing rendezvous, proximity operations and formation flying. Both spacecraft can independently switch between chaser and target roles, allowing different operational scenarios to be tested under varying cislunar conditions.

CAPSTONE 02 will demonstrate relative navigation techniques for rendezvous and docking in cislunar space, where spacecraft are subject to the combined gravitational influence of Earth and the Moon. The technologies are intended to support future crewed missions, including the navigation required for spacecraft approaching lunar landers and transferring astronauts between cislunar orbit and the lunar surface.

Navigation will combine ground tracking measurements, optical sensors and observations of celestial bodies. The mission will also test three NASA-developed navigation software suites during its low-energy transfer trajectory from Earth into lunar orbit. An optical imaging payload developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory will support the navigation experiments and obtain images of the Moon.

The mission will further mature the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System technology demonstrated by the original CAPSTONE spacecraft. The system determines a spacecraft’s position relative to other spacecraft without relying exclusively on Earth-based tracking.

The mission is targeted for launch in 2027.