Relax, it is all intentional.
We have previously reported about NASA's plans to send a crewed mission to the moon under the Artemis program. The had hogged all the limelight for its massive structure and thrust capabilities. However, the launch vehicle is only a part of the larger mission and a contracted-out launch of a CubeSat late last month now assumes importance as NASA plans how to get the humans on the moon back again.
In the early hours of June 28th, a 59-foot tall rocket took off from Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand with a tiny satellite that would test if a new orbit around the moon could be used for the human landing. Called , the mission took off on Electron, a booster from Rocket Lab, a U.S.-based launch service provider.
Once close to the moon, the tiny satellite will fire its boosters again to set itself in a near rectilinear halo orbit which is similar to a rubber band outstretched between two fingers. Interestingly, this is the first time NASA is attempting to put a spacecraft in such an orbit. If the mission is successful, NASA plans to set up an orbital space station around the moon in the same orbit, which will also help astronauts descend toward the moon in the Artemis mission.
The tiny satellite will send back images and information that NASA hasn't seen before. Due to the nature of the orbit, the satellite, as well as the following space station, will constantly remain in touch with the Earth and also minimize the requirement of fuel for the mission. The satellite is carrying minimal amounts of fuel and burns it in a highly energy-efficient manner, which is the reason for its slow journey toward the moon. However, the low payload of fuel has saved NASA millions of dollars, with the entire CAPSTONE project costing just $32.7 million in all. "For some tens of millions of dollars, there is now a rocket and a spacecraft that can take you to the moon, to asteroids, to Venus, to Mars," Rocket Lab founder Peter Beck told Associated Press.
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NASA satellite breaks from orbit around Earth, heads to moonA satellite the size of a microwave oven successfully broke free from its orbit around Earth on Monday and is headed toward the moon, the latest step in NASA's plan to land astronauts on the lunar surface again.
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NASA satellite breaks from orbit around Earth, heads to moonA satellite the size of a microwave oven successfully broke free from its orbit around Earth on Monday and is headed toward the moon, the latest step in NASA's plan to land astronauts on the lunar surface again. It's been an unusual journey already for the Capstone satellite. It was launched six days ago from New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula by the company Rocket Lab in one of their small Electron rockets.
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NASA satellite breaks from orbit around Earth, heads to moonWELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A satellite the size of a microwave oven successfully broke free from its orbit around Earth on Monday and is headed toward the moon, the latest step in NASA's plan to land astronauts on the lunar surface again.
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NASA satellite breaks from orbit around Earth, heads to moonA satellite the size of a microwave oven successfully broke free from its orbit around Earth on Monday and is headed toward the moon, the latest step in NASA's plan to land astronauts on the lunar surface again.
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NASA satellite breaks from orbit around Earth, heads to moonThe Capstone satellite will take four months to reach the moon as it cruises along using minimal energy.
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