NASA and Rocket Lab are targeting Monday, May 22, for the launch of the agency’s TROPICS (Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats) mission, on an Electron rocket from Launch Complex 1 in Māhia, New Zealand. 

The launch will place a pair of CubeSats in low Earth orbit, and they will join another pair of TROPICS satellites that made it to orbit last week after launching on an Electron rocket from New Zealand. Together the four satellites will orbit in two equally spaced orbital planes, which will distribute them for optimal coverage over the tropics.  

Image credit: Rocket Lab

Blue Origin selected as Second Artemis Lunar Lander Provider – Blue Origin will design, develop, test, and verify its Blue Moon lander to meet the agency's human landing system requirements for recurring astronaut expeditions to the lunar surface, including docking with Gateway, a space station where crew transfer in lunar orbit. In addition to design and development work, the contract includes one uncrewed demonstration mission to the lunar surface before a crewed demo on the Artemis V mission in 2029.

Axiom Mission 2 Prelaunch and Launch Activities – NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX are set to provide coverage of upcoming Axiom Mission 2 activities, the second private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the Dragon Freedom crew ship attached, is scheduled to launch four Axiom Mission 2 astronauts at 5:37 p.m. EDT on Sunday to the orbital outpost.  

Potentially Volcano-Covered Earth-Size World Discovered – Using data from TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite), the retired Spitzer Space Telescope, and a suite of ground-based observatories, astronomers have discovered an Earth-size exoplanet–or world beyond our solar system–that may be carpeted with volcanoes. Called LP 791-18 d, the planet could undergo volcanic outbursts as often as Jupiter’s moon Io, the most volcanically active body in our solar system. 

Free Webinar: Moon to Mars Architecture  – As the agency builds a blueprint for human exploration throughout the solar system for the benefit of humanity, efforts to advance the Moon to Mars architecture concept development approach are underway. In a virtual webinar on Monday, May 22, leaders from the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate will discuss how U.S. commercial industry, academic communities, and others can contribute to the evolving Moon to Mars architecture approach. 

CAPSTONE, short for Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, successfully tested a navigation technology akin to Earth’s GPS for the first time in May, advancing a capability that could help future space missions more efficiently navigate at the Moon. The spacecraft also captured its first images of the Moon, showing the lunar surface near the Moon's North Pole as CAPSTONE made a close approach to the Moon on May 3.  

CAPSTONE is a microwave oven-sized CubeSat flying a unique, elliptical orbit at the Moon that will be used by Gateway. The test of the mission's technology involved two spacecraft: CAPSTONE and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). During the May 9 experiment, CAPSTONE sent a signal to LRO designed to measure the distance and relative velocity between the two spacecraft. LRO then returned the signal to CAPSTONE, where it was converted into a measurement. The test proved the ability to collect measurements that will be utilized by the mission's software to determine the positioning of both spacecraft. This capability could provide autonomous onboard navigation information for future lunar missions 

  

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