Advanced Space – Spaceflight Now

April 2, 2026

Breaking News

[ April 1, 2026 ] Live coverage: NASA to launch Artemis 2, its first Moon-bound mission with astronauts since 1972 Artemis
[ March 30, 2026 ] Falcon 9 booster launches for record 34th time on Starlink delivery mission Falcon 9
[ March 30, 2026 ] SpaceX launches 119 payloads on smallsat rideshare mission from California Falcon 9
[ March 26, 2026 ] SpaceX launches batch of Starlink satellites from the West Coast Falcon 9
[ March 25, 2026 ] NASA outlines ambitious $20 billion plan for moon base Artemis

NASA picks Rocket Lab to launch lunar CubeSat mission

February 15, 2020 Stephen Clark

NASA announced Friday that Rocket Lab will launch a 55-pound CubeSat from Wallops Island, Virginia, toward the moon in early 2021 on a demonstration mission to test lunar navigation techniques and scout a unique elliptical orbit for the planned Gateway mini-space station.

NASA to fly CubeSat pathfinder for Gateway in unique lunar orbit

September 26, 2019 Stephen Clark

As soon as next year, NASA plans to launch a CubeSat the size of a microwave oven into a unique elliptical orbit around the moon as a scout for the future lunar Gateway, a mini-space station NASA intends to use as a staging point for crewed lunar landings beginning as soon as 2024.