The Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE™) is expanding its critical experiments to support technology needs in cislunar space.
WESTMINSTER, CO, 2 April, 2025 – Advanced Space is expanding the CAPSTONE™ program in collaboration with NASA to host a new suite of experiments. These onboard experiments will further demonstrate spacecraft autonomy, cislunar navigation and interoperable standards-based communications technologies. These CAPSTONE™ experiments will continue to mature and de-risk critical technologies and operations in this challenging domain. This additional experimentation phase will support NASA technology development for identified shortfalls to increase the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) in these flight and ground technologies to support future flight programs. These specific experiments will leverage the lessons learned from this highly successful mission to help enable our country’s goal to lead lunar, Mars, and deep-space exploration.
CAPSTONE™ was launched on June 28, 2022, and completed its insertion maneuver at the Moon on November 18, 2022. The spacecraft spent the subsequent 18 months accomplishing all its operational objectives while also taking on some additional roles. NASA trusted Advanced Space and its partners as a pathfinder for key elements of the agency’s Artemis campaign and the first commercial and privately owned satellite to operate at the Moon. This mission leveraged a highly efficient transfer to the Moon and demonstrated the proprietary peer-to-peer navigation capability in the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System (CAPS™).
ABOUT ADVANCED SPACE:
Advanced Space (https://advancedspace.com/) exists to enable the sustainable exploration, development, and settlement of space through software and services that leverage unique subject matter expertise to improve the fundamentals of spaceflight. The company is actively supporting mission and cutting-edge capabilities spanning commercial, civil, international and national security customers. Through its Mission Enabling Services, Advanced Space provides mission and flight optimization, mission design, and mission systems engineering. With its Technology Solutions Advanced Space provides its customers with trusted AI/ML/autonomy expertise, flight-demonstrated applications, and analysis at scale. Advanced Space offers Mission Solutions with unique rapid turn-key missions, data and capabilities purchases as well as demonstrated cislunar and Martian success. Advanced Space is the owner and operator of CAPSTONE™ for NASA and Prime contractor for Oracle for AFRL. Trusted to take on the challenge, the team at Advanced Space is Delivering Innovation to Orbit™ to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.