CNN SPACE+SCIENCE | Microwave-size spacecraft launches to test new orbit between Earth and the moon

The CAPSTONE mission will be the first to fly in a unique orbit intended for use by the Artemis program’s Gateway lunar outpost.

(CNN) – A tiny spacecraft with big implications for lunar exploration has launched.

The miniscule satellite, called a CubeSat, is about the size of a microwave oven and weighs just 55 pounds (25 kilograms), but it will be the first to test out a unique, elliptical lunar orbit. The CubeSat will act as a pathfinder for Gateway, an orbiting lunar outpost that will serve as a way station between Earth and the moon for astronauts.

The orbit, which is called a near rectilinear halo orbit, is very elongated and provides stability for long-term missions while requiring little energy to maintain — which is exactly what the Gateway will need. The orbit exists at a balanced point in the gravities of the moon and Earth.  –read more–