An update on NASA’s Artemis I Moon mission…
The right moves for a small satellite mission…
And a brilliant idea to look for ice water on the Moon…some of the stories to tell you: this week at NASA!
The Artemis I moon mission is still targeting a November launch
NASA is still targeting a Nov. 14 launch of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft on Artemis I. The unmanned flight test will send Orion past the Moon and back to Earth.
CAPSTONE Revealed at Lunar Sunrise: CAPSTONE will fly into cislunar space, the orbital space near and around the Moon. The mission will demonstrate an innovative spacecraft-to-spacecraft navigation solution to the Moon from a nearly rectilinear halo orbit planned for Artemis’ Gateway. Credit: Illustration by NASA/Daniel Rutter
CAPSTONE successfully completes the maneuver
After a successful trajectory correction maneuver, the CAPSTONE spacecraft is still expected to reach lunar orbit on November 13. CAPSTONE will test the same unique elliptical lunar orbit used by the Lunar Gateway as part of NASA’s Artemis program.
This illustration shows NASA’s Lunar Lantern on the Moon. The SmallSat mission will have a highly elongated orbit, taking it 9 miles (15 kilometers) above the lunar south pole to search for water ice in the moon’s darkest craters. Credit: NASA
Searching for water ice in the craters of the Moon’s south pole
NASA’s Lunar Lantern is a small satellite that will use lasers to search for water ice inside the darkest craters at the Moon’s south pole. Water ice could provide a valuable resource for astronauts on future missions to the Moon. The Lunar Lantern is targeting a November launch.
This visualization simulates illumination at the Moon’s south pole in 2023. The field of view covers the area south of 88°S latitude. Credit: NASA Science Visualization Study
Illumination at the south pole of the Moon
This NASA visualization simulates the lighting at the Moon’s south pole throughout 2023 and gives you an idea of what some of the craters will look like from above. Data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter was used to create this visualization.
Here’s what’s happening this week @NASA…