Terran Orbital Corporation announced the successful integration of the CAPSTONE spacecraft aboard the Rocket Lab Electron rocket. The Terran Orbital designed and built satellite is flying a pathfinding mission to the moon in support of NASA's historic Artemis program. The Terran Orbital team produced CAPSTONE's hardware, assembled and tested the spacecraft, and integrated the satellite for its upcoming launch.

The Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) will be the first spacecraft to test the Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO) around the Moon. CAPSTONE includes a radio tower on top that extends its size from a traditional 12U form factor. Rather than follow the typical direct to Moon path, CAPSTONE will follow a “ballistic lunar transfer” that will extend its reach up to 1.5 million kilometers before returning into lunar orbit – saving propellant and enabling the spacecraft to complete a mission that was previously impossible for a spacecraft of its size.