NORTH LOGAN — Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) has been chosen by Advanced Space LLC to provide deep space communications technology for NASA’s upcoming CAPSTONE 02 mission. This announcement was made during the 40th Annual Small Satellite Conference. The mission aims to enhance autonomous navigation and spacecraft-to-spacecraft communications around the Moon, supporting NASA’s Artemis and Moon Base initiatives.

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SDL plans to design, manufacture, and test two flight-qualified Iris Radios and associated hardware for navigation and precise timekeeping, intended for CAPSTONE 02’s two 400-kilogram small satellites. The radios will enable direct communication with Earth and allow the spacecraft to communicate directly with each other, facilitating advanced autonomous operations in lunar orbit.

The CAPSTONE 02 mission builds upon the original CAPSTONE mission launched in 2022, which successfully established a near-rectilinear halo orbit around the Moon. This orbit, which brings a spacecraft close to the lunar surface before taking it far away, is essential for future lunar exploration. The original mission also validated Advanced Space’s Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System (CAPS) navigation software.

CAPSTONE 02 will involve two spacecraft operating in cislunar space to demonstrate techniques for autonomous rendezvous, proximity operations, and spacecraft-to-spacecraft communications, thereby reducing dependency on Earth-based tracking. Tim Neilsen, head of Spacecraft Missions and Technologies for SDL, noted the mission's success in proving that small satellites can achieve significant objectives beyond Earth’s orbit.

The Iris Radio, a software-defined telecommunications subsystem developed from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory technology, is designed to endure the harsh conditions of deep space while maintaining communication with NASA's Deep Space Network.

This mission continues SDL's commitment to support NASA's exploration efforts beyond Earth. The Iris Radios have also been implemented in various past missions, including MarCO, Lunar Flashlight, and NEA Scout. The launch of CAPSTONE 02 is anticipated in late 2027.

Headquartered at USU’s Innovation Campus in North Logan, Utah, SDL is a nonprofit organization dedicated to solving technical challenges for the military, scientific community, and industry, while furthering NASA's mission to explore the universe. SDL has locations in Albuquerque, Chantilly, Colorado Springs, Huntsville, Ogden, and Stafford.