NASA Awards CAPSTONE 02 Contract for 2027 Lunar Docking Tests

2 articles · Updated · Jalopnik · Aug 5

Advanced Space won NASA’s CAPSTONE 02 contract to fly twin satellites in 2027, testing formation flying and docking in cislunar space where Earth and Moon gravity interact.
Those maneuvers target the lunar “three-body problem,” a navigation challenge NASA must solve for sustained Moon operations, including astronaut transfers between Orion and a separate lunar lander.
Two satellites weighing under 900 pounds each, built by Terran Orbital Systems, will navigate by stars and lunar terrain because the environment cannot be fully replicated on Earth.
The mission follows NASA’s first CAPSTONE experiment and feeds into Artemis plans, with a crewed lunar landing currently slated for Artemis IV in 2028.
Cislunar know-how is also gaining strategic value as commercial and military players including SpaceX, China and the U.S. Space Force expand interest in the Moon’s orbital region.