All articles tagged with #orion spacecraft
NASA has begun assembling Artemis III’s Space Launch System at Kennedy Space Center, raising the rocket’s core stage inside the Vehicle Assembly Building ahead of a planned 2027 liftoff. The mission will test critical rendezvous and docking with lunar landers and will gauge performance alongside SpaceX’s Starship and Blue Origin’s Blue Moon as a stepping stone to crewed lunar exploration.
NASA’s initial postflight assessments find the Orion heat shield performed as expected with less char loss than Artemis I, and the SLS rocket achieved orbital insertion with splashdown about 2.9 miles from the target and an entry velocity near predictions. A toilet-system issue—urine vent line—was identified and is under investigation to prevent recurrence. Astronauts shared Earthset footage and noted vestibular readjustment after returning to gravity, as Artemis II serves as a critical step toward crewed lunar missions in 2027–2028.
NASA reports Artemis II's heat shield endured a blistering 24,664 mph reentry with only minimal char, no cracked tiles, and intact reflective tape, according to initial post-splashdown assessments; divers' photos confirm a precise splashdown and NASA says the heat shield performed as expected, addressing earlier concerns about using the Artemis I shield for Artemis II and keeping the program on track for future missions.
NASA’s Orion capsule has several problems to fix before Artemis III, including a helium leak in the oxygen pressurization system, a heat shield damaged in earlier tests that NASA intends to redesign, and hydrogen leaks plus plumbing glitches. The issue is complicated by the fact that the return module isn’t recovered for postflight inspection, so Orion may require a full redesign. Artemis III will be uncrewed, giving NASA time to address these flaws before more ambitious missions to the Moon or Mars.
NASA posted a video captured by Artemis II astronaut Christina Koch showing Earthshine—sunlight reflecting off Earth—from about 33,800 miles away on the Orion spacecraft during the 10-day lunar flyby; Koch’s footage comes as the Artemis II crew (Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Jeremy Hansen, Koch) traveled farther from Earth than any humans in history, surpassing Apollo 13, and the clip was released around Earth Day.
NASA Ames contributed to Artemis II by refining Orion’s reentry physics with new aerothermal sensors and modeling, advancing 3D-MAT compression pads, validating SLS aerodynamics and debris analyses, supporting mission assurance with real-time tools, and guiding crew-led lunar science observations.
After Artemis 2's splashdown, NASA said Orion's heat shield performed as expected with no unusual conditions, significantly reducing the abnormal charring seen in Artemis 1. Initial concerns about a missing chunk were clarified by recovery photos, and NASA's skip-entry adjustment appears to have mitigated gas buildup and damage. The agency will continue tests and imaging over the coming weeks, but early results show the shield did its job and clears the path for future crewed Moon missions.
NASA rolled out the Space Launch System core stage for Artemis III, a 212-foot-tall rocket section built by Boring and L3Harris, marking a key step toward the first crewed lunar landing in more than 50 years. The core stage will power Artemis III’s mission, slated for 2027, with final assembly on Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center after its transport from Michoud.
NASA's Artemis II postflight analyses show Orion and SLS performed as expected, with ongoing inspections at Kennedy and Marshall to support Artemis III and future Moon missions.
NASA’s Artemis II astronauts captured Earthset from the Moon’s far side using an iPhone, with commander Reid Wiseman posting the clip from the Orion spacecraft as Christina Koch photographed lunar craters; the crew spent about seven hours on observations during the lunar flyby, marking the first around-the-Moon mission in more than five decades and setting the stage for the planned Artemis III landing.
Space.com reports that NASA's Artemis 2 astronauts photographed the Moon's far side during a lunar flyby on April 6, 2026, a period when Earth–Moon communications paused for about 40 minutes; the Orion spacecraft carried a four‑astronaut crew roughly 252,756 miles (406,771 km) from Earth—the farthest humans have ventured—continuing NASA's first crewed Moon mission since Apollo.
PetaPixel highlights Artemis II crew photos captured during the lunar flyby, from window views and Earthsets to Reid Wiseman’s 'Hello World' image; the piece emphasizes the human touch in space exploration and the Apollo-to-Artemis lineage, including Koch’s post-splashdown hug as the crew safely returned.
Artemis II landed safely after a high-stakes reentry designed to limit heat-shield exposure, prompting NASA to push a 'hardware rich' approach for future missions and pursue a clear, post-mission report on the heat-shield issue to guide the trajectory toward lunar habitats and eventual Mars missions.
NASA’s Artemis II mission successfully carried four astronauts—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—on a circumlunar flight, with the Space Launch System performing near perfectly and Orion handling the journey, underscoring the human experience of exploration and setting the stage for future crewed lunar missions.
NASA says the discoloration seen on Orion after Artemis 2’s reentry isn’t a missing chunk of heat-shield material but a color change in the compression-pad area, consistent with local geometry and arc-jet testing. No abnormal ablation was observed, and a full data review will be released publicly. The crew returned safely, and Artemis 2’s postflight review will proceed to confirm there are no unanticipated issues.