CAPSTONE 02
A follow-up NASA mission of two identical spacecraft that will practice meeting up with each other in orbit near the Moon and test autonomous navigation and communications. Launch is targeted for 2027.
Why it matters
Docking, refueling and assembling things near the Moon all need spacecraft that can find and approach each other safely in complex orbits. CAPSTONE 02 is a low-cost test of those skills ahead of crewed Artemis activity.
How the technology works
Two roughly 400 kg spacecraft on Terran Orbital buses will fly in a three-body lunar orbit, demonstrate rendezvous and proximity operations, test crosslink and direct-to-Earth communications, carry three NASA navigation software payloads and a radiation-forecasting instrument. The design passed critical design review in August 2026.
Sources
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