On the third day of its Artemis I journey, NASA’s uncrewed Orion spacecraft is now more than half way to the Moon. “Today, we met to review the Orion spacecraft performance, and it is exceeding performance expectations.” said Mike Sarafin, Artemis I mission manager. Friday, flight controllers used Orion’s cameras to inspect the crew module …
NASA’s uncrewed Orion spacecraft is on the second day of its journey heading toward the Moon as part of a planned 25.5-day flight test. Orion performed a second outbound trajectory burn at 6:32 a.m. EST using the auxiliary thrusters on the European Service Module, which will be used for most trajectory correction burns. Teams also …
Following a successful launch on Wednesday, Nov. 16, NASA’s uncrewed Orion spacecraft is heading toward the Moon on a 25.5-day mission beyond the lunar surface. Orion lifted off atop the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket at 1:47 a.m. EST from Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Engineers intend to learn as …
The interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) completed its approximately 18-minute trans-lunar injection (TLI) burn and the spacecraft has separated from the stage. Orion fired its auxiliary thrusters to move a safe distance away from the expended stage and the spacecraft is on its way to the Moon. NASA will hold a postlaunch news conference at …
The perigee raise maneuver has been successfully completed. The interim cryogenic propulsion stage fired for just over 20 seconds to raise the lowest point of Orion’s Earth orbit in preparation for the critical trans-lunar injection burn that will send Orion to the Moon. The trans-lunar injection burn is currently targeted for about 3:14 a.m. EST …
Orion’s solar arrays have completed their deployment. The arrays are drawing power, and early data suggests good performance. The next milestone will be a perigee raise maneuver targeted for approximately 2:41 a.m. EST to raise Orion’s orbit in preparation for the critical trans-lunar injection that will send Orion to the Moon.
Space Launch System core stage main engine cutoff is complete, and the core stage has separated from the interim cryogenic propulsion stage and Orion spacecraft. The next milestone is deployment of Orion’s solar arrays, scheduled to begin approximately 18 minutes after launch.
The service module fairing and launch abort system have successfully separated from the Orion spacecraft. The SLS core stage will continue to fire until about 8 minutes after launch.
The Space Launch System’s (SLS) solid rocket boosters have successfully jettisoned. The SLS core stage will continue to fire until 8 minutes after launch. In about one minute, the service module fairing and launch abort system will separate from the Orion spacecraft.
NASA’s Space Launch System rocket, carrying the uncrewed Orion spacecraft lifted off from Launch Complex 39B in Florida at 1:47 a.m. EST. The primary goal of Artemis I is to thoroughly test the integrated systems before crewed missions by operating the spacecraft in a deep space environment, testing Orion’s heat shield, and recovering the crew …
