Orion’s Missions
Learn more about the Orion spacecraft’s different flights.
Artemis III
2027
NASA’s Artemis III mission in low Earth orbit will test integrated operations between the Orion spacecraft and one or both commercial landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin respectively.
Artemis II
April 1, 2026 5:35 p.m. UTC
Four astronauts flew around the Moon inside the Orion spacecraft, testing NASA’s foundational human deep space exploration capabilities for the first time with crew.
Artemis I
Nov. 16, 2022 6:47 a.m. UTC
Artemis I was the first integrated flight test of NASA’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, and the upgraded Exploration Ground Systems at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Ascent Abort-2
July 2, 2019 7:00 a.m. EDT
On July 2, 2019, NASA conducted a successful test known as AA-2 (Ascent Abort-2), which tested the Orion LAS (Launch Abort System), a critical safety system that sits atop Orion at launch and during ascent. If an emergency occurs during launch, the LAS pulls Orion and its crew away from the rocket for a safe landing in the Atlantic Ocean.
Exploration Flight Test 1
Dec. 5, 2014 7:05 a.m. EST
On Dec. 5, 2014, Orion lifted off from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket and splashed down approximately 4.5 hours later in the Pacific Ocean.
Pad Abort-1
May 6, 2010 7:00 a.m. MDT
On May 6, 2010, at the U.S. Army’s WSMR (White Sands Missile Range) near Las Cruces, New Mexico, NASA conducted a successful flight test known as Pad Abort-1, a test of the Orion LAS (Launch Abort System), a critical safety system that sits atop Orion at launch and during ascent.
