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Orion

All articles tagged with #orion

space9 days ago•71 min saved

Giant Telescope Pinpoints Artemis 2’s Moon Loop in Unprecedented Detail

NSF's Green Bank Telescope tracked NASA's Artemis 2 Orion capsule around the Moon for five days from more than 213,000 miles away, delivering distance and Doppler measurements that matched NASA projections to about 0.2 millimeters per second and producing a pixelated image of the spacecraft with a scientist noting “there are four people in those pixels.” The observations illustrate how a giant radio telescope can assist future space missions and radar-related efforts, highlighting the Green Bank Telescope’s role as the largest moving structure on land.

via Space|

#artemis-2 #green-bank-telescope #nasa

space-exploration12 days ago•73 min saved

Artemis 3 to test complex Earth-orbit docking with private lunar landers

NASA says Artemis 3 will be one of its most complex missions, testing rendezvous and docking in Earth orbit between the Orion crew capsule and private lunar landers (SpaceX’s Starship and/or Blue Origin’s Blue Moon) as a stepping stone to Artemis 4’s moon landing; the crew will spend more time in Orion, a spacer will mimic the upper stage to save cost, and lander tests and cubesats could be part of the run — Artemis 3 is now planned for late 2027.

via Space|

#artemis-3 #blue-moon #nasa

space13 days ago•14 min saved

Artemis 3 to fly SLS with spacer upper stage replacing ICPS

NASA will launch Artemis 3 on the Space Launch System with an inert spacer substituting for the ICPS upper stage. The spacer, built at Marshall Space Flight Center, will match ICPS dimensions and interfaces so Orion’s flight hardware and missions can proceed. With ICPS no longer in production, Artemis 4 will carry the ICPS, while Centaur will be used on later SLS launches; Artemis 3 will rely on Orion’s own propulsion to circularize into a ~463-km orbit as NASA defines a three‑launch campaign to test rendezvous with two landers from Blue Origin and SpaceX. Exact crew, suit testing, and dates remain under development, with a rough target in 2027–2028.

via SpaceNews|

#artemis-3 #icps #orion

space18 days ago•71 min saved

Charred Orion Hull: Artemis 2’s fiery ride home

Space.com’s Space Photo of the Day shows NASA’s Artemis 2 Orion capsule charred at Kennedy Space Center after its 10‑day lunar mission, highlighting a reentry temperature near 5,000°F. The crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—returned to Earth with a Pacific splashdown on April 10, and NASA will study the heat shield’s performance to inform Artemis 3.

via Space|

#artemis-2 #heat-shield #nasa

space20 days ago•10 min saved

Animated 'Hello, World' sequence reveals new details from Artemis II Earth images

NASA released a trove of Artemis II photos; a sequence of 17 frames of the iconic 'Hello, world' shot was animated by Andy Saunders to highlight details like lightning, aurorae, and satellites. Some appearances of solar arrays may be optical effects from Orion’s window. The animation runs about 1 minute 20 seconds at 30x speed, using images captured with a Nikon D5, Nikon Z9, and iPhone 17s.

via Ars Technica|

#artemis-ii #aurora #hello-world-image

space21 days ago•71 min saved

NASA Releases 12K Artemis 2 Photos, Showing Earth and Moon From a New Perspective

NASA has released 12,217 Artemis 2 photos in its public archive, offering a front-row view of the mission around the Moon. The shots include Earth glimpsed from Orion’s far side, a six-second star-trail exposure, and lunar-surface details described by the crew as browns and greens, plus two named craters, Integrity and Carroll. The Artemis 2 crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen—launched on April 1 for a 10-day lunar flyby, reaching a maximum distance of about 252,760 miles (406,773 km) from Earth. Data were initially limited via transmission; NASA recovered most images from the mission’s SD cards after splashdown April 10 and is now sharing them publicly.

via Space|

#artemis-2 #earth-from-space #lunar-imagery

space23 days ago•17 min saved

Artemis 3 timeline muddied as NASA revises plan and slips loom

NASA’s Artemis 3 mission, originally intended as a crewed lunar landing, has been redefined as a low-Earth orbit test and key details like its orbit profile, duration, crew, and test scope remain unsettled. Core SLS work progresses at Kennedy Space Center, while capabilities from SpaceX and Blue Origin’s lunar landers are being aligned for a potential rendezvous in orbit. If Artemis 3 slips into late 2027, NASA’s plan to launch Artemis 4 in early 2028 and Artemis 5 in late 2028 could be imperiled, potentially delaying the two lunar landings planned for 2028.

via SpaceNews|

#artemis #artemis-3 #hls

space28 days ago•13 min saved

Artemis II returns home to Florida after historic lunar test

After a successful splashdown off California on April 10, 2026, NASA’s Artemis II Orion capsule is returning to its Florida launch site at Kennedy Space Center, marking a historic milestone for the first crewed lunar test and paving the way for future Artemis missions.

via AP News|

#artemis-ii #moon #nasa

space28 days ago•71 min saved

Heat shield’s deep-sea postscript: Artemis 2’s fiery relic photographed underwater

NASA’s Artemis 2 heat shield was photographed underwater after the Orion capsule’s splashdown off San Diego on April 10, 2026. The scorched tiles endured reentry temperatures near 5,000°F (about 2,800°C), and divers captured images of the heat shield as the capsule is prepared for return to Kennedy Space Center for further study ahead of Artemis 3.

via Space|

#artemis-2 #heat-shield #nasa

space1 month ago•4 min saved

Laser-Driven Data for Artemis II: Rossoni’s Mission-Critical Role

Peter Rossoni, flight manager for the Orion Artemis II Optical Communications System, oversaw NASA’s first laser communications link on a crewed deep-space mission, enabling up to 260 Mbps downlink and transferring about 450 gigabytes of data from Orion to Earth over the roughly 10-day Artemis II test, while integrating laser and radio networks and ensuring robust mission communications.

via NASA (.gov)|

#artemis-ii #data-transmission #laser-communications

space1 month ago•32 min saved

Underwater photos capture Artemis 2 splashdown heat shield in action

Navy divers underwater photos of Artemis 2’s splashdown offer a rare view of the Orion capsule’s heat shield in action; early analysis suggests the heat shield performed well and the ceramic tiles held up, with airborne imagery also aiding review. NASA says minimal char loss was observed and the data will inform checks ahead of Artemis 3 in 2028, as NASA faces broader program challenges highlighted by a Blue Origin setback with its New Glenn rocket.

via Yahoo|

#artemis-2 #heat-shield #navy-divers

space1 month ago•3 min saved

Artemis II Shares Fresh Earth Photos to Celebrate Earth Day

NASA released unseen Artemis II Earth photos captured during the Moon flyby, including a terminator view from an Orion window on April 2, 2026, to mark Earth Day; officials say the images celebrate Earth’s beauty and also carry high-definition science data to inform future Artemis missions, as the four Artemis II astronauts—Reid, Victor, Christina and Jeremy—share a view of our blue planet from the Moon’s far side.

via PetaPixel|

#artemis-ii #earth #earth-day

science1 month ago•37 min saved

Artemis II heat shield nails fiery reentry, near-perfect splashdown

Artemis II’s heat shield with its ablative coating held up under the mission’s blistering 24,664 mph reentry, showing minimal char and no cracked tiles in early NASA assessments. NASA’s lofted Apollo-style entry, designed after Artemis I’s shield issues, helped safeguard the crew, and underwater imagery plus a precise splashdown about 2.9 miles from the target mark progress for the Artemis program.

via Yahoo|

#artemis-ii #heat-shield #nasa

space1 month ago•75 min saved

Navy dive team leads Artemis 2 rescue: first at-sea entry to Orion after lunar splashdown

Four U.S. Navy dive-medical technicians aboard the USS John P. Murtha greeted NASA’s Artemis 2 astronauts after their splashdown, becoming the first people to enter NASA’s Orion capsule at sea to perform medical checks and help the crew exit the spacecraft, as the four astronauts—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—were stabilized on a recovery platform; the team trained extensively with Orion mockups, marking a new phase in Artemis recoveries.

via Space|

#artemis-2 #nasa #navy

science1 month ago•36 min saved

Artemis II Heat Shield Survives Fiery Reentry, NASA Photo Confirms

A photo released by NASA, taken by U.S. Navy divers after Artemis II’s splashdown, shows the charred heat shield of the Orion capsule. Early postflight inspections indicate it performed as designed with reduced char loss compared with Artemis I, and NASA will continue examining the heat shield and crew module while addressing issues such as the spacecraft’s toilet to inform future Artemis missions.

via Yahoo|

#artemis #heat-shield #nasa