NASA ’s copestone is a small cubesat with big goals , and now it has gone where no cubesat has gone before , becoming the first diminished orbiter ever to orbit the Moon . After months of a slow , accurate attack – and a few twenty-four hours of nailbitinglost link – reaching this compass is key as it is testing out something very important for the time to come of lunar ( and even Martian ) exploration .

CAPSTONE , which count just 25 kg ( 55 pounds ) , is a pathfinder mission for the eccentric halo - shaped orbit planned for NASA’sLunar Gateway , a space place set to revolve the Moon and act as an outstation to support the Artemis missions – and perhaps , one sidereal day , be a stepping rock to Mars .

“ The CAPSTONE mission process squad confirm that NASA ’s CAPSTONE ballistic capsule arrived at its orbit at the Moon Sunday evening . The CubeSat complete an initial orbit insertion maneuver , firing its pusher to put the spacecraft into ambit , at 7:39 p.m. EST , ” NASAsaid .

CAPSTONE has been placed in a close - rectilinear gloriole orbit , or NRHO . The NRHO is a special solution to thethree - body problemthat should theoretically guarantee a stable orbit with minimum adjustment , and it ’s a braggart deal .

It is comfortable to predict the movement of two bodies moving under each other ’s gravity , no matter the initial condition . Newton ’s law of gravity are , in most cases , enough and you do n’t have to take in Einstein ’s theory of general theory of relativity . But add a third target to the system and pandemonium ensues , severely reducing the ability to predict where the objects will be in relation back to each other .

Even when the two other bodies are as liberal as the Earth and the Moon , a space station ’s mass can not be reckon inexistent . With the exclusion of a few special case , the movement of three bodies does n’t repeat . This particular NRHO is also special because it is the arena chosen for the Lunar Gateway . CAPSTONE is going to lead a couple of blank - up maneuvers before further measurement to substantiate that it is staying in the NRHO .

CAPSTONE , and finally the Lunar Gateway , will be in a seven - solar day elongated course around the Moon that is almost face - on when learn from Earth . The NHRO will take an object place there to as near as 3,000 kilometers ( 1,865 naut mi ) from the Earth’s surface of the Moon and then as far as 70,000 kilometers ( 43,500 miles ) .

Drawbacks from this celestial orbit are the motive to from time to time spend fuel and carry out disciplinary maneuvers , but it does allow the least number of occultation on board from either the Earth ’s or the Moon ’s apparition as well as inexpensive ( in terms of energy requirements ) transference from both the Earth and Moon ’s surfaces .

copestone will spend six months orbiting the Moon provide valuable insights into this unusual orbital shape .