NASA and Rocket Lab are preparing to launch an Electron rocket tomorrow, Monday 27th, at 06:00 Eastern, 10:00 UTC, 11:00 UK time from Launch Complex 1 at Mahia, New Zealand.
Onboard is NASA's Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE). The microwave sized spacecraft is headed to a near rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO). That same orbit is planned for Gateway, a multipurpose outpost for long-term lunar missions as part of the agency’s Artemis program.
CAPSTONE will test the dynamics of the NRHO for at least six months, helping reduce risk for future spacecraft.
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