That's really awesome news, thanks for sharing! We've worked with Advanced
Space in the past on some ULA projects, and it's good to see them getting a
big win like this.
~Jon
On Fri, Sep 13, 2019 at 10:34 AM Ben Brockert <wikkit@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Are you involved with the project, Anthony? I saw the press release and
was wondering what they're doing for propulsion.
Brad and I were in SEDS-USA at the same time as college students, great to
see him finding success with Advanced Space. He hired one of my old
co-workers from Moon Express, it's nice that he'll finally get a real
chance to send something to the moon.
On Fri, Sep 13, 2019 at 9:03 AM Anthony Cesaroni <anthony@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Anthony J. Cesaroni
President/CEO
Cesaroni Technology/Cesaroni Aerospace
http://www.cesaronitech.com/
(941) 360-3100 x101 Sarasota
(905) 887-2370 x222 Toronto
*From:* Hqnews <hqnews-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> *On Behalf Of *NASA
News Releases
*Sent:* Friday, September 13, 2019 11:51 AM
*To:* hqnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
*Subject:* [NASA HQ News] NASA Funds CubeSat Pathfinder Mission to
Unique Lunar Orbit
September 13, 2019
RELEASE 19-073
*NASA Funds CubeSat Pathfinder Mission to Unique Lunar Orbit*
NASA has awarded a $13.7 million contract to Advanced Space of Boulder,
Colorado, to develop and operate a CubeSat mission to the same lunar orbit
targeted for Gateway
<https://www.nasa.gov/topics/moon-to-mars/lunar-gateway> – an orbiting
outpost astronauts will visit before descending to the surface of the Moon
in a landing system as part of NASA’s Artemis
<https://www.nasa.gov/what-is-artemis> program.
The Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and
Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) is expected to be the first spacecraft to
operate in a near rectilinear halo orbit around the Moon. In this unique
orbit, the CubeSat will rotate together with the Moon as it orbits Earth
and will pass as close as 1,000 miles and as far as 43,500 miles from the
lunar surface.
[image: Animation showing a highly elliptical, a near rectilinear halo
orbit around the Moon]
<https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/capstone-orbit-large.gif>
Highly elliptical, a near rectilinear halo orbit around the Moon takes
advantage of a precise balance point in the gravities of Earth and the Moon
and creates a stability that is ideal for long-term missions like Gateway
*Credits: Advanced Space*
The pathfinder mission represents a rapid lunar flight demonstration and
could launch as early as December 2020. CAPSTONE will demonstrate how to
enter into and operate in this orbit as well as test a new navigation
capability. This information will help reduce logistical uncertainty for
Gateway, as NASA and international partners work to ensure astronauts have
safe access to the Moon’s surface. It will also provide a platform for
science and technology demonstrations.
“This is an exciting opportunity for NASA to aggressively push forward
towards the Moon in partnership with several American small businesses as a
vanguard to Artemis and sustained human presence beyond low-Earth orbit,”
said Jim Reuter, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Technology
Mission Directorate. “This mission is highly ambitious in both cost and
schedule – and taking that deliberate risk is part of the objective of this
mission – alongside the rapid technological advancement in cislunar
navigation and the opportunity to verify orbital trajectory assumptions and
retire unknowns for future missions.”
The 12-unit CubeSat
<https://www.nasa.gov/content/what-are-smallsats-and-cubesats> is about
the size of a small microwave oven. Onboard is a communications system
capable of determining how far CAPSTONE is from NASA’s Lunar
Reconnaissance Orbiter
<https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/main/index.html> and how fast
the distance between the two spacecraft is changing. The inter-spacecraft
information will be used to demonstrate software for autonomous navigation,
allowing future missions to determine their location without having to rely
exclusively on tracking from Earth.
Illustration of the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology
Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE).
*Credits: Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems*
CAPSTONE will provide NASA and its partners with important insights to
support exploration of the Moon and Mars, including:
· Demonstration of spacecraft-to-spacecraft navigation services
· Verification of near rectilinear halo orbit characteristics for
future spacecraft
· Experience entering this orbit with a highly efficient lunar
transfer
· Experience with rideshare or small dedicated launches to the
Moon
· Commercial experience providing mission planning and operations
support services for CubeSats beyond Earth
· Rapid commercial delivery of a CubeSat mission beyond Earth
orbit
“CAPSTONE offers a lot in a small package,” said Advanced Space CEO
Bradley Cheetham. “Not only will it serve as a pathfinder for Artemis, but
it will also demonstrate key exploration-enabling commercial capabilities.
Our team will be pioneering state-of-the-art tools for mission planning and
operations to enable growth in the number of future missions to the Moon,
Mars, and throughout the solar system.”
A number of launch options are possible for the mission, including being
the primary payload on a small spacecraft launch vehicle. After launch,
CAPSTONE will take approximately three months to enter its target orbit and
begin a six-month primary demonstration phase to understand operations in
this unique regime.
The award to Advanced Space is through a Phase III Small Business
Innovation Research (SBIR) contract, a follow-on to earlier SBIR awards
that developed CAPSTONE’s autonomous positioning and navigation system
experiment.
The CAPSTONE team includes Advanced Space and Tyvak Nano-Satellite
Systems, Inc. of Irvine, California. The project is managed by NASA’s Small
Spacecraft Technology (SST) program within the agency’s Space Technology
Mission Directorate. Based at NASA's Ames Research Center in California’s
Silicon Valley, SST expands U.S. capability to execute unique missions
through rapid development and demonstration of capabilities for small
spacecraft applicable to exploration, science and the commercial space
sector. Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) within NASA’s Human Exploration
and Operations Mission Directorate will fund the launch and support mission
operations. AES engages in activities focused on advanced design,
development, and demonstration of exploration capabilities to reduce risk,
lower life cycle cost and validate operational concepts for future human
missions.
NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration program includes sending a suite of new
science
instruments and technology demonstrations <http://www.nasa.gov/clps> to
study the Moon, landing the first woman and next man on the lunar surface
by 2024, and establishing a sustained presence by 2028. The agency will
leverage its Artemis experience and technologies to prepare for the next
giant leap – sending astronauts to Mars.
To learn more about NASA’s Artemis program and Moon to Mars exploration
approach, visit:
*https://www.nasa.gov/moontomars* ;<https://www.nasa.gov/moontomars>
To learn more about NASA's investments in space technology, visit:
*https://www.nasa.gov/spacetech* ;<https://www.nasa.gov/spacetech>
To learn more about Advanced Space and the Cislunar Autonomous
Positioning System, visit:
*https://advancedspace.com/caps/* ;<https://advancedspace.com/caps/>
-end-
*Press Contacts*
Clare Skelly
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-4273
clare.a.skelly@xxxxxxxx
Alison Hawkes
Ames Research Center, Silicon Valley, Calif.
650-604-0281
alison.hawkes@xxxxxxxx
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