The CAPSTONE mission team has rescheduled the trajectory correction maneuver (TCM) originally targeting for this morning to review additional data and perform additional analysis to support modeling of the spacecraft performance during maneuvers. The rescheduled plan does not have any significant impact on the size of the planned correction maneuver which was part of the of TCM executed two days prior. The spacecraft is healthy, communicating with NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN) and in a nominal state.
TCM1 had three scheduled maneuvers. TCM-1a, TCM-1b and TCM-1c. Below lists the purpose of these scheduled TCM-1 series.
- Cleaning up the launch injection deviations from the Lunar Photon vehicle
- Commissioning the thrusters which calibrates the propulsion system
TCM-1a completed approximately 90% of the objectives of the TCM. With the healthy state of the spacecraft TCM-1b did not need to be performed. Today’s scheduled TCM-1c may still occur but is not needed today.
In the typical course of spacecraft commissioning activity, schedules often are adjusted. The mission team continues to work around the clock on flight dynamics analysis, trajectory design, spacecraft commanding, communications and health check activities and looks forward to the next needed maneuver.
We will update with the new planned maneuver time when available.
Overall, CAPSTONE is in a nominal state, healthy and still on schedule to arrival to the Moon in four months on November 13th.