NASA is preparing to send two probes to the moon as part of CAPSTONE 02, a mission focused on testing complex three-body orbits. These orbital paths are shaped by the gravitational pull of multiple bodies, making them important for future mission design but more challenging to study and operate in practice.
According to the mission description, CAPSTONE 02 is intended to help lay the groundwork for lunar infrastructure and commercial services. That makes the project more than a simple technology test, as it is tied to broader planning for sustained activity around the moon.
The effort is also connected to NASA’s Artemis goals and longer-term ideas for a Moon Base. By examining how spacecraft perform in these complex lunar orbits, the agency can gather information that may help support transport, communications, and other services needed for repeated missions.
NASA is presenting the mission as part of a larger path toward future deep-space exploration. If the probes can successfully test these orbital strategies, the results could help shape how spacecraft operate near the moon and how that region supports missions heading farther into space.
