White House Releases Strategy Outlining Cislunar Space Research Goals

The White House has released the National Cislunar Science and Technology Strategy, a new government-wide plan to develop scientific and economic activities in the area between Earth’s geosynchronous orbit and the moon. The document lays out four goals for research conducted in cislunar space, namely facilitating long-term growth, expanding international cooperation, extending situational awareness and implementing communications and navigation capabilities, Breaking Defense reported.

To compose the strategy, the National Science and Technology Council assembled an interagency subcommittee chaired by Matthew Daniels, assistant director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Participants included NASA, the National Security Council, the Office of Management and Budget and the departments of Defense, Commerce, Energy and State.

Some government organizations are already conducting studies in cislunar space. NASA announced Monday that the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment cube satellite successfully entered into a near-rectangular halo orbit around the moon.

According to Jim Free, the space agency’s associate administrator for exploration systems development, CAPSTONE will stay in that position for six months and collect data for the Gateway station program.

Earlier in November, the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Vehicles Directorate awarded a $72 million contract to Advanced Space for an experimental spacecraft that will investigate positioning and navigation in cislunar space, among other mission goals.