NASA Prepares CAPSTONE 02 Mission to Test Next-Generation Lunar Navigation Technologies

NASA is moving forward with a new technology demonstration mission aimed at advancing the infrastructure needed for long-term exploration around the Moon. The agency’s CAPSTONE 02 mission will test autonomous spacecraft navigation, rendezvous operations, and cislunar communications, helping pave the way for future Artemis missions and the development of a sustained human presence in lunar orbit.
Scheduled for launch in 2027, the mission will deploy two small spacecraft that will operate to