(CNN)NASA lost contact with one of its satellites after leaving Earth's orbit on its way to the Moon.
"If necessary, the mission has enough fuel to delay the orbital correction operation after the initial separation for several days," the agency said.
Leaving Earth's orbit
The satellite will leave Earth's orbit as planned on Monday, an important four-month journey to the Moon. Marked a milestone.
The rest of the trip depends on its own propulsion and the gravity of the sun. Gravity allows the CubeSat to use significantly less fuel to reach its destination.
On June 28, a mission mounted on Rocket Lab's Electron Rocket from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand.
The goal of CubeSats is to get into a slender orbit. A nearly linear halo orbit around the moon for at least 6 months for research purposes.
Satellite orbits travel the spacecraft within 1,000 miles (1,609.3 kilometers) from one satellite pole and within 43,500 miles (70,006.5 kilometers) every seven days from the other pole on the closest path. To do. The
In addition, small satellites also test their communication capabilities. This orbit provides a view of the Earth while covering the Moon's South Pole, where Astronaut Artemis is due to land in 2025.
CubeSat also communicates with NASA's orbiting lunar reconnaissance orbit. 13 years month. It acts as a reference point for the satellite, allowing scientists to measure the distance between two space objects and where CAPSTONE is in the sky.