CAPSTONE Begins 4-Month Ballistic Lunar Transfer to Unique Moon Orbit
US$32.7M Capstone now being controlled from Advanced Space HQ in Colorado as it navigates 1,300,000km from Earth, utilizing Sun gravity and 8-thruster propulsion system (built by Stellar Exploration) before reaching Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit with apolune 70,000km from MSP, perilune 1,600km from MNP; Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck heralds “perfect Moon mission success” following 28 June launch to LEO on Rocket Lab Electron / 7 raising maneuvers via Lunar Photon interplanetary stage, culminating in translunar injection from 70,000km above Iberian Peninsula
Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT) VP Arnulf Kjeldsen tells 
Recognizing communication needs of 90+ lunar missions under consideration for NLT 2030, Alessandro Balossino, Head of R&D for Italy microsatellite manufacturer Argotec and Faramarz Davarian, JPL Lunar Surface Communications Terminal Project Manager co-author announcement of 
Jervis Autonomous Module (JAM) is planned module for self-flying space vehicles with communication / navigation capabilities beyond range of GNSS and without constraints inherent to deep space network; System to be built by Rhea Space Activity with venture capital backing of SpaceFund, led by (R-L) Rick Tumlinson and Meagan Crawford; JAM to utilize 
NASA 
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) to provide communications spacecraft operating on S, X and UHF frequency bands from elliptical lunar orbit, ESA is first major customer under US$23.5M / 5 year agreement formalized at Royal Society in London as launch-for-service exchange with NASA being pursued; David Parker of ESA says “robust & fast communications… will be available to all” in signing release 
Houston TX team behind Nova-C robotic lunar lander striving to achieve 26 Feb IM-1 mission to equatorial lunar nearside via SpaceX Falcon 9, partnering with IronNet on IT security, MDA providing landing sensors; IM-2 in Q4 2022 to set “
Recognizing Inevitable 
Laser Communications Relay Demonstrations (LCRD) To Launch To 35,405km Geosynchronous Orbit On Space Test Program Satellite-6 (STPSat-6) From Cape Canaveral Space Force Station 23 June, Powered By ULA Atlas V In 551 Configuration; Building On LADEE Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration Of 622 Mbps Downlink / 40 Mbps Uplink From Moon Orbit, LCRD Is Expected To Show Infrared Laser-Based Speed To / From Optical Ground Station 1 (California) & 2 (Hawaii) ‘10 To 100x’ Faster Than Existing Radio Frequency Comms