Artemis I

Artemis I

Artemis I was the first integrated flight of NASA’s new deep space human exploration system — the Orion spacecraft, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, and Exploration Ground Systems at Kennedy Space Center in Florida — testing our capabilities to orbit the Moon and return to Earth and setting the stage for future crewed missions to the lunar vicinity.

During this flight, an uncrewed Orion launched on the most powerful rocket NASA has ever developed and flew further than any spacecraft designed and built for humans has ever flown. On a 25.5-day mission, Orion traveled 268,563 miles from Earth and 43,471 miles beyond the far side of the Moon, demonstrating the performance of both Orion and the SLS rocket on their maiden flight, and gathering important engineering data. Orion stayed in space longer than any spacecraft for astronauts has without docking to a space station, and returned home faster and hotter than ever before.

SLS and Orion blasted off from Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s modernized spaceport at Kennedy. The SLS rocket is designed for missions beyond low-Earth orbit carrying crew or cargo to the Moon and beyond. The first SLS vehicle, called Block 1, created more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust during launch and ascent and is capable of delivering more than 27 metric tons (59,525 pounds) to orbits beyond the Moon. Propelled by a pair of five segment boosters and four RS-25 engines, the rocket reached the period of greatest atmospheric force within ninety seconds. After jettisoning the boosters, service module panels, and launch abort system, the core stage engines shut down and the core stage separated from the spacecraft, leaving Orion attached to the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) which propelled it toward the Moon.

As the spacecraft made an orbit around Earth, it deployed its solar arrays and the ICPS gave Orion the big push it needed to leave Earth’s orbit and travel toward the Moon. From there, Orion separated from the ICPS approximately two hours after launch. The ICPS then deployed several small satellites, known as CubeSats, which performed several experiments and technology demonstrations that help to improve our knowledge of the deep space environment.

As Orion continued on its path from Earth orbit to the Moon, it was propelled by a service module provided by ESA (European Space Agency). The service module supplies the spacecraft’s main propulsion system and power, and houses air and water for astronauts on future missions. Orion passed through the Van Allen radiation belts, and flew past the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite constellation and above communication satellites in Earth orbit. To communicate with mission control at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Orion switched from NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellites system and connected through the Deep Space Network. From here, Orion continued to demonstrate its unique design in navigation, communication, and operations in a deep space environment.

The outbound trip to the Moon took approximately 5 days, during which time engineers evaluated the spacecraft’s systems and, as needed, corrected its trajectory. Orion flew about 80 miles above the surface of the Moon at its closest approach, and then used the Moon’s gravitational force to propel into a distant retrograde orbit about 40,000 miles past the Moon. This is 30,000 miles farther than Apollo travelled during Apollo 13 and the farthest in space any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown.

The spacecraft stayed in that orbit for six days to collect data and allow mission controllers to assess the performance of the spacecraft. During this period, Orion traveled in a direction around the Moon opposite from the direction the Moon travels around Earth.

For its return trip to Earth, Orion performed another close flyby of the Moon that took the spacecraft within about 80 miles of the lunar surface, then used another precisely timed engine firing of the service module in conjunction with the Moon’s gravity to accelerate back toward Earth. This maneuver set the spacecraft on its trajectory to enter our planet’s atmosphere traveling around 25,000 mph and producing temperatures of approximately 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit, testing the heat shield’s performance.

The mission ended with a test of Orion’s capability to return safely to Earth as the spacecraft made a precise landing within eyesight of the recovery ship off the coast of San Diego. Following splashdown, Orion remained with power for a period of time as divers from the U.S. Navy and operations teams from NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems approached in small boats from the waiting Naval recovery ship. The divers briefly inspected the spacecraft for hazards and hook up tending and tow lines, then engineers towed the capsule into the well deck of the recovery ship that brought the spacecraft home.

Launch Date	2022
Launch Site	Kennedy Space Center, Florida, Launch Pad 39B
Launch Vehicle	Space Launch System Block 1
Orion Gross Liftoff Weight	72,000 lbs.
Trans-Lunar Injection Mass	53,000 lbs.
Post-Trans Lunar Injection Mass	51,500 lbs.

Artemis I Mission Timeline

View the Artemis I mission timeline here.

Secondary Payloads

The payload mass capability of the SLS and the unused volume of the Orion stage adapter that connects the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) to the spacecraft provide a rare opportunity for small, low-cost science and technology experiments to be deployed into deep space. These secondary payloads, known as CubeSats, are not much larger than a shoebox but contain science and technology investigations or technology demonstrations that help pave the way for future, deep space human exploration. International space agency partners and universities are involved with several of the CubeSat payloads.

The Artemis I CubeSats are 6U in size. One U – or unit – is 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm. The Artemis I payloads are limited to about 25 pounds (11.3 kg) each. Several of the CubeSats chosen to fly on Artemis I are lunar-focused and helped NASA address Strategic Knowledge Gaps (SKGs) to inform research strategies and prioritize technology development of human and robotic exploration. Other missions will be testing innovative propulsion technologies, studying space weather, analyzing the effects of radiation on organisms, and providing high resolution imagery of the Earth and the Moon. Some of the CubeSats are competing in the Cube Quest Challenge, vying for prizes for accomplishing such goals as farthest communication to Earth from space. The CubeSats were deployed after Orion separated from the Orion stage adapter and ICPS and was a safe distance away. Each payload was ejected with a spring mechanism from dispensers installed on the Orion stage adapter. 

Artemis I Secondary Payload Facts

Weight Limit: 25 lbs. (11.3 kilograms) each

Size: 6U (4.4” x 9.4” x 14.4”) Equivalent to six 10 cm square units

Deployment opportunities are along the upper stage disposal trajectory.

The Secondary Payload Deployment System includes an avionics unit, mounting brackets, cable harnesses, and a vibration mitigation system.

Artemis I manifested payloads are listed below with their provider, area of exploration:

Moon

Lunar IceCube	Morehead State University, Kentucky	Searching for water in all forms and other volatiles with an infrared spectrometer
LunaH-Map	Arizona State University, Arizona	Creating higher-fidelity maps of near-surface hydrogen in craters and other permanently shadowed regions of the lunar South Pole with neutron spectrometers
OMOTENASHI	JAXA, Japan	Developing the world’s smallest lunar lander and studying the lunar environment
LunIR	Lockheed Martin, Colorado	Performing advanced infrared imaging of the lunar surface

Sun

CuSP

Southwest Research Institue, Texas

Measuring particles and magnetic fields as a space weather station

Asteroid

NEA Scout

Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama

Traveling by solar sail to a near-Earth asteroid and taking pictures and other characterizations of its surface

Earth

EQUULEUS

University of Tokyo/JAXA, Japan

Imaging the Earth’s plasmasphere for a better understanding of Earth’s radiation environment from Earth-Moon LaGrange 2 point

Other Missions

BioSentinel	Ames Research Center, California	Using single-celled yeast to detect, measure and compare the impact of deep-space radiation on living organisms over a long period of time
ArgoMoon	European Space Agency/ASI, ArgoTec, Italy	Observing the interim cryogenic propulsion stage with advanced optics and software imaging system

Centennial Challenges

Team Miles

Florida

Demonstrating propulsion using plasma thrusters and competing in NASA’s Deep Space Derby

Space Biology Experiments

Four space biology investigations were carried in a container stored in the crew compartment of the Orion capsule for the duration of the mission, as it passed through the Van Allen Belts on the way to the Moon and again on the way back to Earth. The experiments studied DNA damage and protection from radiation for missions to the Moon, where radiation exposure was roughly twice what it is on the International Space Station.

Artemis I provided an opportunity to study effects from the combined environment of space radiation and microgravity. Beyond low-Earth orbit, cosmic radiation is trapped in the Van Allen Belts that are part of Earth’s magnetosphere and can be dangerous to humans and other living organisms, as well as sensitive electronics. The Moon is about 240,000 miles from the Earth, which is about 1,000 times more than the distance from Earth to the International Space Station and offers a true deep space radiation environment. All specimens were returned to the researchers for post-flight analyses after the spacecraft returned. NASA selected investigators from four institutions for awards totaling ~$1.6 million in fiscal years 2019-2022.

Federica Brandizzi, Ph.D., Michigan State University, Life beyond Earth

Effect of space flight on seeds with improved nutritional value – This study characterized how spaceflight effects nutrient stores in plant seeds with the goal of gaining new knowledge that will help increase the nutritional value of plants grown in spaceflight.

Timothy Hammond, Ph.D., Institute For Medical Research, Inc., Fuel to Mars

This research included studies with the photosynthetic algae, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, to identify important genes that contribute to its survival in deep space.

Zheng Wang, Ph.D., Naval Research Laboratory, Investigating the Roles of Melanin and DNA Repair on Adaptation and Survivability of Fungi in Deep Space

Researchers used the fungus Aspergillus nidulans to investigate radioprotective effects of melanin and the DNA damage response.

Luis Zea, Ph.D., University of Colorado, Boulder, Multi-Generational Genome-Wide Yeast Fitness Profiling Beyond and Below Earth’s van Allen Belts

This investigation used yeast as a model organism to identify genes that help organisms adapt to the conditions of both deep spaceflight on the Artemis I mission, and of low Earth orbit on the space station.

NASA awarded these grants under the NASA Research Announcement NNH18ZTT001N-EM1 “Appendix A: Orion Exploration Mission-1 Research Pathfinder for Beyond Low Earth Orbit Space Biology Investigations” which is part of the Research Opportunities in Space Biology (ROSBio) Omnibus. The Space Biology Program is managed by the Space Life and Physical Sciences Research and Applications Division in NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Matroshka AstroRad Radiation Experiment (MARE)

Space radiation is one of the most significant hazards crews face on missions to the Moon and beyond. In 2018, NASA signed an agreement with Lockheed Martin Advanced Programs, the Israel Space Agency (ISA), and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) for an experiment to test the AstroRad radiation protection vest on Artemis I. The investigation, called the Matroshka AstroRad Radiation Experiment (MARE), provided valuable data on radiation levels during the Artemis I missions and will continue to provide this information in further missions to the Moon while testing the effectiveness of the new vest.

The Artemis I mission did not carry crew, but two identical manikin torsos equipped with radiation detectors. The manikins, called phantoms, are manufactured from materials that mimic human bones, soft tissues, and organs of an adult female. One phantom, named Zohar, wore the AstroRad vest, while the other, named Helga, did not. Female forms were chosen because women typically have greater sensitivity to the effects of space radiation, but the AstroRad vest is designed to protect both males and females.

The phantoms have a three-centimeter grid embedded throughout the torsos that enabled scientists to map internal radiation doses to areas of the body that contain critical organs. With two identical torsos, scientists were able to determine how well the new vest protected crew from solar radiation, while also collecting data on how much radiation astronauts might experience inside Orion on a lunar mission – conditions that cannot be recreated on Earth.

Orion was designed to protect both humans and hardware during radiation events on Artemis missions. For example, in the event of a solar flare, Orion’s crew can take cover in the central part of the crew module, between the floor and the heat shield, inside two large stowage lockers. Using the stowage bags that were in the lockers, they will create a shelter around themselves, putting as much mass between them and the radiation source as possible and making it harder for solar particles to travel through. With a protective vest to help block solar energetic particles, crews could continue working during critical mission activities in spite of a solar storm.

ISA provided the AstroRad vest for the mission, which was developed by StemRad, an Israeli company, in collaboration with Lockheed Martin. DLR provided the phantoms and the majority of the radiation detectors, with further contributions by universities from around the world.

Manikin "Commander Moonikin Campos"

The “Moonikin,” a male-bodied manikin previously used in Orion vibration tests, flew inside the Orion crew module on Artemis I to collect data for engineers on the ground to evaluate and fine-tune crew conditions during missions to the Moon.

The manikin received the official name “Commander Moonikin Campos” as the result of a competitive bracket contest honoring NASA figures, programs, or astronomical objects. The name Campos is a dedication to Arturo Campos, a key player in bringing Apollo 13 safely back to Earth. The contest received more than 300,000 votes.

Campos occupied the commander’s seat inside Orion and wore an Orion Crew Survival System suit– the same spacesuit that Artemis astronauts will use during launch, entry, and other dynamic phases of their missions.

Campos was equipped with two radiation sensors and additional sensors under its headrest and behind its seat to record acceleration and vibration data throughout the Artemis mission.

Five additional accelerometers inside Orion provided data for comparing vibration and acceleration between the upper and lower seats. As Orion splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, all accelerometers measured impact on these seat locations for comparison to data from water impact tests at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia to verify accuracy of pre-flight models.

After Orion was recovered and transported back to Kennedy Space Center in Florida at the end of the mission, Campos was offloaded from the spacecraft, and packed within a transport crate inside the Space Station Processing Facility at Kennedy on Jan. 10, 2023 for transport back to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

In the summer following the Artemis I mission, the manikin visited the Wright-Patterson Air Force base in Ohio, where it underwent a series of acceleration sled tests, simulating contingency landings while testing the restraint systems in the Orion spacecraft. During the acceleration sled tests Moonikin Campos demonstrated acceleration speeds up to 19gs. Engineers performed each test to understand how the Orion Crew Survival System suit and Orion seat will perform under realistic acceleration speeds astronauts may experience during launch or in deep space. The results of each test will also aid in the improvement of spacesuits, helmets, and seat designs, each a necessary component used in the acceleration sled tests, then thoroughly evaluated by engineers.

After visiting Wright-Patterson Air Force base, Commander Moonikin Campos was then transported to Kennedy Space Center in Florida to support acceptance vibration testing of the Artemis II Orion crew module. This series of acceptance vibration tests helped verify the Orion crew module can maintain a safe environment for astronauts during the dynamic phases of the future crewed Artemis II mission.

Commander Moonikin Campos will now be able to provide engineers on the ground at Johnson Space Center with collected data from deep space and measurements such as radiation, acceleration, and vibration data to fine tune crew conditions during missions to the moon and to help protect NASA’s astronauts during future crewed Artemis missions.

Callisto

Callisto is a technology demonstration developed through a reimbursable space act agreement with Lockheed Martin. Lockheed Martin has partnered with Amazon and Cisco to bring the Alexa digital assistant and Webex video collaboration aboard Orion’s first flight test in deep space.

Named after a mythological Greek goddess and one of Artemis’ hunting attendants, Callisto is meant to show how commercial technology could assist future astronauts on deep space missions.

The payload demonstrated how astronauts and flight controllers can use human-machine interface technology to make their jobs simpler, safer and more efficient, and advance human exploration in deep space.

The industry-funded payload was located on Orion’s center console and included a tablet that will test Webex by Cisco video conferencing software to transmit video and audio from the Mission Control Center at Johnson, and custom-built hardware and software by Lockheed Martin and Amazon that tested Alexa, Amazon’s voice-based virtual assistant, to respond to the transmitted audio.