Cis Lunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE)

The Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) mission is the first spacecraft to test a unique, elongated lunar orbit called a near rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) around the Moon. The spacecraft is about the size of a microwave oven and weighs just 55 pounds. It serves a pathfinder for future lunar missions, including Gateway—the Artemis program’s lunar space station—by validating innovative navigation technologies and verifying the dynamics of the halo-shaped orbit. In lunar orbit since November 13, 2022, the CAPSTONE mission is assessing the energy-efficient halo orbit’s characteristics and requirements like power and propulsion that are needed for a spacecraft to maintain it. The CAPSTONE mission is successfully demonstrating the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System (CAPS), an innovative spacecraft-to spacecraft navigation system. Through direct communication with NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, CAPSTONE utilizes data from the crosslink to measure the distance and how quickly the distance changes between the two lunar orbiting spacecraft. This information allows CAPSTONE to determine its position in space. The CAPS technology could allow future spacecraft to determine their location in space without relying exclusively on tracking from Earth which in turn can reduce the amount of ground network time needed for in-space operations.

CAPSTONE’s demonstration of spacecraft-to-spacecraft navigation technologies and verification of the dynamics of this near rectilinear halo orbit will reduce risk for future spacecraft missions. The successful demonstration of CAPSTONE’s autonomous navigation software, Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System (CAPS), will allow future spacecraft to determine their location relative to the Moon without relying exclusively on tracking from Earth. This capability reduces the amount of ground network time needed for in-space operations, reducing the burden on NASA’s Deep Space Network for future science and exploration missions.

This is a mature technology (TRL 8) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

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