Summary
NASA’s CAPSTONE 02 mission is targeted for launch in 2027 and will use two small spacecraft to test autonomous navigation, close-proximity operations and communications in lunar orbit. The demonstrations are intended to reduce uncertainty around techniques future crews and spacecraft may use near the Moon.
NASA has awarded Advanced Space a contract for CAPSTONE 02, a two-spacecraft mission designed to test rendezvous, formation flying and navigation technologies in the complex gravitational environment around the Moon.
The agency announced the mission on July 24, 2026. NASA said the two identical spacecraft will each weigh about 400 kilograms, or 882 pounds, and will be supplied by Terran Orbital Systems. The mission is targeted for launch in 2027, but NASA has not announced a specific launch date in the material reviewed by WSOI.
Mission operators plan to alternate the spacecraft between “chaser” and “target” roles. Using ground tracking, optical sensors and celestial objects as references, one spacecraft will attempt to locate and approach the other while both travel through lunar orbit.
Why the tests matter
Navigation near the Moon differs from navigation in low Earth orbit because spacecraft are influenced by the gravity of both Earth and the Moon. NASA said CAPSTONE 02 will test the kinds of relative-navigation strategies that could support Orion spacecraft approaching a lunar lander and transferring astronauts before a trip to the surface.
The spacecraft will also serve as a testbed for three NASA-developed navigation software packages and an optical imaging payload from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. NASA plans to collect data during the mission’s low-energy transfer from Earth, which will carry the spacecraft beyond the Moon before they settle into lunar orbit.
CAPSTONE 02 builds on the original CAPSTONE spacecraft, which launched in June 2022 and became the first U.S. commercial mission to the Moon. NASA concluded its work with that mission in June 2026 after testing autonomous navigation, deep-space communications and a near-rectilinear halo orbit. Advanced Space continues to operate the original spacecraft as a technology testbed.
What remains uncertain
The mission remains in development. NASA’s announcement identifies a 2027 launch target but does not establish a precise launch window, launch provider or final operating schedule. Those details may change as the spacecraft and mission plan move toward flight.
Key Facts
- CAPSTONE 02 is targeted for launch in 2027.
- The mission will use two approximately 400-kilogram spacecraft supplied by Terran Orbital Systems.
- Advanced Space holds the NASA contract and will build on its experience operating the original CAPSTONE mission.
- The demonstrations include rendezvous, proximity operations, formation flying, autonomous navigation and cislunar communications.