CAPSTONE Goes the Distance for NASA’s Artemis Program
Terran Orbital Corporation (NYSE: LLAP) announced that its CAPSTONE spacecraft has achieved a record apogee of 1.538 million km from Earth on August 26 at 2:35 p.m. E.T.. This significant milestone surpasses previous distances flown by Terran Orbital vehicles. CAPSTONE's mission is crucial for testing the Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit, supporting NASA’s Artemis program. The spacecraft is expected to arrive at the Moon on November 13.
- CAPSTONE reached a record apogee of 1.538 million km from Earth, marking a significant achievement for Terran Orbital.
- The mission supports NASA's Artemis program by testing the Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit for future lunar operations.
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The satellite reached its highest altitude at an apogee of 1.538 million km from Earth – the highest any
The pathfinding CAPSTONE lunar satellite reaches apogee - its farthest point from Earth (Image Credit: NASA)
Apogee occurs when a satellite follows a non-circular orbit around the earth, creating an orbital ellipse with the center of the earth at one focus. Such a satellite has variable altitude and variable orbital speed. The point of highest altitude is called apogee. Details of CAPSTONE’s apogee are as follows:
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CAPSTONE passed 1.5 million km from Earth at
15-AUG-2022 11:11:00.0000 UTC -
CAPSTONE reached its absolute max apogee on
26-AUG-2022 19:36:07 UTC when it reached 1.538 million km from Earth
CAPSTONE’s max apogee of 1.538 million km from Earth beats previous
The dominance of the Sun’s gravitational pull enables CAPSTONE’s extreme distance as part of a ballistic lunar transfer (BLT) trajectory. CAPSTONE is using a BLT to reach and test the unique orbit around the Moon known as the Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO). The NRHO is the intended orbit for
“Terran Orbital is thrilled to guide CAPSTONE through and beyond apogee,” said Terran Orbital Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer
The 55-pound CAPSTONE will arrive at the Moon on
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