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Electron: CAPSTONE

CAPSTONE (Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment) is a 12-U cubesat mission to test operations in near rectiliniar halo orbit around the Moon, which is to be used for the Lunar Gateway space station. Mission will verify the near rectilinear halo orbit characteristics, spacecraft-to-spacecraft navigation services in that orbit, and provide valuable experience of small sat launch to the Moon.

Tuesday, 28 June 2022
Electron: CAPSTONE

Mission Data

Rocket Lab
πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡ΈRocket LabEst. 2006
Launch VehicleElectron
Vehicle Record95 of 99 launches (96%)
Provider TypeCommercial
Agency Record95 successes / 4 failures (96%)
Success Streak58 consecutive
Mission TypePlanetary Science
Target OrbitLunar Orbit
Launch PadRocket Lab Launch Complex 1B
LocationπŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand NZL
Orbital Launches This Year#73
Agency Launches This Year#4
Launches From This Pad41
Launches From This Site86
Status Note

The launch vehicle successfully inserted its payload(s) into the target orbit(s).

About Electron

Electron is a two-stage orbital expendable launch vehicle (with an optional third stage) developed by the American aerospace company Rocket Lab. Electron is a small-lift launch vehicle designed to launch small satellites and cubesats to sun-synchronous orbit and low earth orbit. The Electron is the first orbital class rocket to use electric-pump-fed engines, powered by the 9 Rutherford engines on the first stage. It is also used as a suborbital testbed (called HASTE) for hypersonics research.

Launch updates

  1. Successful Electron launch. Photon's HyperCurie engine will perform apogee raising burns around every 24 hours for five days, before a final burn on the sixth day to set CAPSTONE on a trans lunar injection

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  2. Liftoff

  3. Webcast live

  4. Weather 75%

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  5. Adjusting T-0

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  6. NET June 28

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  7. Updating T-0

  8. NET June 27

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  9. Adding T-0 and setting GO

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  10. NET June 25

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Launch Site

Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B Β· 39.2628Β°S 177.8645Β°E

Launch data from Launch Library 2 by The Space Devs.