Apr 2, 2025 | Missions
The Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE™) is expanding its critical experiments to support technology needs in cislunar space.
WESTMINSTER, CO, 2 April, 2025 – Advanced Space is expanding the CAPSTONE™ program in collaboration with NASA to host a new suite of experiments. These onboard experiments will further demonstrate spacecraft autonomy, cislunar navigation and interoperable standards-based communications technologies. These CAPSTONE™ experiments will continue to mature and de-risk critical technologies and operations in this challenging domain. This additional experimentation phase will support NASA technology development for identified shortfalls to increase the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) in these flight and ground technologies to support future flight programs. These specific experiments will leverage the lessons learned from this highly successful mission to help enable our country’s goal to lead lunar, Mars, and deep-space exploration. (more…)
Dec 20, 2024 | Team
What is the best part about being an aerospace engineer?
I like the fact that I get to tell people that what I do is actually rocket science!
All jokes aside, the best part can be characterized by a meeting I had with a coworker when we were coming up with an idea for a proposal. We were sitting in a room bouncing ideas off of each other, and one of the elements sought in this proposal was for solutions to push the boundaries of what is possible, which can also be stated plainly as crazy, out-of-this world ideas. We spent about 45 minutes throwing wild sci-fi ideas at each other and then based on this discussion, we spent the next 15 minutes converging these ideas into a singular, cohesive story. Finally, we excitedly arrived at a plan for what our idea for the proposal would be; now we just had to go to our desks and write it out. As I was leaving the room, I turned around and said, “Isn’t it crazy how we get paid to come up with really cool ideas like that?”
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Nov 7, 2024 | Missions
Advanced Space is studying artificial intelligence / machine learning algorithms to improve trusted autonomous operations of spacecraft for the full life cycle of a mission.
WESTMINSTER, CO, November 7, 2024 — Space assets are almost completely operated from the ground. The United States Space Force (USSF) needs its spacecraft to make more autonomous decisions in an increasingly contested space environment for long periods of time without operator intervention. The Space Force has recently funded Advanced Space on a Phase I SBIR project to investigate artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) algorithms that can guide satellites to proper, self-preserving actions in the absence of human intervention. Advanced Space will leverage its recent spacecraft operations AI/ML work for government customers (NASA, IARPA, AFRL). (more…)
Oct 28, 2024 | Missions
The feasibility study will investigate modular mission architectures that facilitate matching launch vehicles, transfer stage capabilities, primary payload, and mission destination to enable rapid mission formulation for SmallSat planetary explorers.
WESTMINSTER, CO, 28 October 2024 – NASA awarded Advanced Space a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project to develop mission architectures and requirements for customizing a low-cost rocket transfer stage that will deliver small spacecraft into nontraditional orbits and provide PNT and communications relay services for the deployed small spacecraft. The project, which will be managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, will define modular mission architectures and ConOps that match launch vehicle and transfer stage capabilities to the deployment of a primary payload to its destination orbit. (more…)
Oct 7, 2024 | CAPSTONE Mission
The award prolongs the CAPSTONE™ mission. CAPSTONE™ is currently flying at the Moon and recently marked its 100th orbit in the near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO).
WESTMINSTER, CO, 6 October 2024 – Advanced Space’s pioneering Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE™) satellite completed its original 18-month mission for NASA this spring and has been awarded an extension of the mission program. The mission extension includes a base period to continue nominal mission operations, further demonstrate Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System (CAPS™) experiments, and perform feasibility analysis for high-priority experiments in support of NASA’s technology needs. The CAPSTONE™ mission has been operating at the Moon for 670+ days performing critical navigation and operations experiments in cislunar space. (more…)
