NASA has managed to restore communication with the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) cubesat, which is moving towards the Moon, according to New Atlas. Communication with the device was lost on July 4 after it separated from the launch vehicle booster..

After the device made several engine starts over a period of six days, it left low Earth orbit and entered the ballistic trajectory of the circumlunar space..

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NASA claimed that the loss of communication with the satellite did not cause much concern, since there was enough fuel on board to delay the required course correction for several days, and the mission control center was confident in the correct position and trajectory.

At the same time, the CAPSTONE mission team has been working to restore communication, as well as to identify the problem and fix it.. As a result, they managed to receive the first signals from the satellite, and after some time, telemetry data..

The scientists stated that the initial data sent by the device indicates its serviceability, it functions as expected.. During the loss of communication, CAPSTONE continued to function autonomously, maintaining the correct position and pointing the antenna towards the Earth. In addition, it kept the battery charged and performed a pulse desaturation maneuver to eliminate excess rotation of the reaction wheels used to keep the probe stable..

Engineers recorded that CAPSTONE returned to work, and its navigation system was updated.

It is planned that the satellite will enter the orbit of the Moon on November 13 and will work there as part of the Artemis mission..

The launch of the Artemis-1 mission is scheduled to take place between August 23 and September 6. Then a module will be launched that will go to the orbit of the moon and provide data on how such a trip can affect the human body.. After 2025, the agency plans to launch a manned mission to the moon.