Artemis I is the first integrated test of NASA’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the ground systems at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I is an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to return humans to the Moon and extend beyond.

• Launch site: Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida
• Launch date: Nov. 16, 2022
• Launch time: 1:47 a.m. EST
• Mission Duration: 25 days, 10 hours, 53 minutes
• Destination: distant retrograde orbit around the Moon
• Total mission miles: approximately 1.4 million miles (2.3 million kilometers)
• Targeted splashdown site: Pacific Ocean, off the coast of San Diego
• Return speed: Up to 25,000 mph (40,000 kph)
• Splashdown: Dec. 11, 2022

During this flight, Orion will launch atop the most powerful rocket in the world and fly farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown. Over the course of the mission, it will travel 280,000 miles (450,000 kilometers) from Earth and 40,000 miles (64,000 kilometers) beyond the far side of the Moon. Orion will stay in space longer than any human spacecraft has without docking to a space station and return home faster and hotter than ever before.

This first Artemis mission will demonstrate the performance of both Orion and the SLS rocket and test our capabilities to orbit the Moon and return to Earth. The flight will pave the way for future missions to the lunar vicinity, including landing the first woman and first person of color on the surface of the Moon.

With Artemis I, NASA sets the stage for human exploration into deep space, where astronauts will build and begin testing the systems near the Moon needed for lunar surface missions and exploration to other destinations farther from Earth, including Mars. With Artemis, NASA will collaborate with industry and international partners to establish long-term exploration for the first time.

Launch

SLS and Orion will blast off from Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s modernized spaceport at Kennedy. Propelled by a pair of five-segment boosters and four RS-25 engines, the rocket will reach the period of greatest atmospheric force within 90 seconds. The solid rocket boosters will burn through their propellant and separate after approximately two minutes, and the core stage and RS-25s will deplete propellant after approximately eight minutes. After jettisoning the boosters, service module panels, and launch abort system, the core stage engines will shut down and the core stage will separate from the spacecraft, leaving Orion attached to the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) that will propel it toward the Moon.

As the spacecraft makes an orbit of Earth and deploys its solar arrays, the ICPS will give Orion the big push it needs to leave Earth’s orbit and travel toward the Moon. This maneuver, known as the trans-lunar injection, precisely targets a point about the Moon that will guide Orion close enough to be captured by the Moon’s gravity

In Space

Orion will separate from the ICPS approximately two hours after launch. The ICPS will then deploy ten small satellites, known as CubeSats, along the way to study the Moon or head father out to deep space destinations. As Orion continues on its path from Earth orbit to the Moon, it will be propelled by a service module provided by ESA (European Space Agency) that will course-correct as needed along the way. The service module supplies the spacecraft’s main propulsion system and power.

The outbound trip to the Moon will take several days, during which time engineers will evaluate the spacecraft’s systems. Orion will fly about 60 miles (97 kilometers) above the surface of the Moon at its closest approach, and then use the Moon’s gravitational force to propel Orion into a distant retrograde orbit, traveling about 40,000 miles (64,000 kilometers) past the Moon. This distance is 30,000 miles (48,000 kilometers) farther than the previous record set during Apollo 13 and the farthest in space any spacecraft built for humans has flown.

For its return trip to Earth, Orion will get another gravity assist from the Moon as it does a second close flyby, firing engines at precisely the right time to harness the Moon’s gravity and accelerate back toward Earth, setting itself on a trajectory to re-enter our planet’s atmosphere.

Landing

The mission will end with a test of Orion’s capability to return safely to Earth. Orion will enter Earth’s atmosphere traveling at about 25,000 mph (40,000 kph). Earth’s atmosphere will slow the spacecraft down to a speed of about 300 mph (480 kph), producing temperatures of approximately 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,800 degrees Celsius) and testing the heat shield’s performance.

Once the spacecraft has passed this extreme heating phase of flight, the forward bay cover that protects its parachutes will be jettisoned. Orion’s two drogue parachutes deploy first, at 25,000 feet (7,600 meters), and within a minute slow Orion to about 100 mph (160 kph) before being released. They are followed by three pilot parachutes that pull out the three main parachutes which will slow Orion’s descent to less than 20 mph (32 kph). The spacecraft will make a precise landing within eyesight of the recovery ship off the coast of San Diego.

Recovery Operations

The Landing and Recovery Team, led by NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems program at Kennedy, will be responsible for safely recovering the capsule after splashdown. The interagency landing and recovery team consists of personnel and assets from the U.S. Department of Defense, including Navy amphibious specialists and Air Force weather specialists, and engineers and technicians from Kennedy, Johnson Space Center in Houston, and Lockheed Martin Space Operations.

Before splashdown, the team will head out to sea in a Navy ship. At the direction of the NASA Recovery Director, Navy divers and other team members in several inflatable boats will be cleared to approach Orion. Divers will then attach a cable to the spacecraft and pull it by winch into a specially designed cradle inside the ship’s well deck. The vessel will transport the spacecraft and other hardware to a pier at U.S. Naval Base San Diego for transport to Kennedy.

Open water personnel will also work to recover Orion’s forward bay cover and three main parachutes. If teams are able to recover the jettisoned cover and parachutes, engineers will inspect the hardware and gather additional performance data.

• Perigee Raise Maneuver – ICPS burn to raise Orion’s altitude at the point in the orbit where the spacecraft is nearest the Earth, known as its perigee, to ensure the spacecraft does not reenter the Earth’s atmosphere
• Trans-lunar Injection Burn – ICPS burn to increase Orion’s speed from 17,500 mph to 22,600 mph to escape the pull of Earth’s gravity for a precise trajectory to the Moon
• Outbound Powered Fly-by Burn – service module burn to send Orion close enough to the lunar surface to leverage the Moon’s gravitational force and direct the spacecraft toward entry into a lunar distant retrograde orbit
• Distant Retrograde Orbit Entry Burn – service module burn to enter lunar orbit and stabilize the spacecraft in the distant retrograde orbit
• Distant Retrograde Orbit Exit Burn – service module burn to exit lunar orbit and direct Orion to a second close lunar flyby
• Return Powered Fly-by Burn – service module burn to send Orion close enough to the lunar surface for a gravity assist from the Moon to slingshot Orion on a trajectory back to intercept the Earth’s atmosphere in preparation for reentry
• Entry and splashdown – the service module will separate from Orion just before re-entry, and the reaction control system engines will orient the crew module’s heat shield into the direction of travel to prepare for peak heating followed by a parachute assisted splashdown in the ocean.
• Passes Apollo 13 distance record – 248,654 miles (400,170 kilometers)
• Max distance from Earth – approximately 280,000 miles (450,000 kilometers)

Disposal of each of the major hardware elements follows a specific flight maneuver after launch with a carefully choreographed trajectory. Recovery systems have been omitted from SLS elements to launch heavier payloads, reduce operational costs, and power missions to the Moon and beyond that require maximum performance.

• The two solid rocket booters will fall into the Atlantic Ocean about 140 miles (225 km) off the Florida coast, north of the Bahamas.
• The core stage and launch vehicle stage adapter will fall into the Pacific Ocean east of Hawaii, west of Baja, California.
• After separating from NASA’s Orion spacecraft, the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage will enter an orbit around the Sun.
• Near the end of the mission, Orion’s European Service Module will separate from the crew module prior to entering Earth’s atmosphere and burn up on re-entry over the Pacific Ocean.

The Artemis I trajectory is designed to ensure any remaining parts do not pose a hazard to land, people, or shipping lanes.

The primary objectives of the Artemis I flight test are to demonstrate the Orion heat shield at lunar return re-entry conditions, demonstrate operations and facilities during all mission phases, and retrieve the spacecraft after splashdown. In the course of completing these goals, the team aims to successfully demonstrate the SLS rocket’s capability, carry out the mission as planned, and ensure a safe return prior to the first flight with crew on Artemis II. Additional secondary objectives will be accomplished as possible throughout the mission that may support future development or mission planning efforts. These objectives will enable NASA to evaluate the performance of Orion, SLS, and the supporting ground systems for certification of the respective systems that will support future crewed missions.

1. Demonstrate Orion’s heat shield can withstand the high speed and high heat conditions when returning through Earth’s atmosphere from lunar velocities
   When Orion returns from the Moon, it will be traveling nearly 25,000 mph (40,000 kph) and experience temperatures up to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,800 degrees Celsius) as it enters Earth’s atmosphere, much faster and hotter than a return from low-Earth orbit. While the heat shield has undergone extensive testing on Earth and was demonstrated on Exploration Flight Test-1 in 2014, no aerodynamic or aerothermal test facility can recreate the conditions the heat shield will experience returning at lunar return speeds. Validating heat shield performance is required before crews fly in Orion.
2. Demonstrate operations and facilities during all mission phases
   From launch countdown through recovery of Orion from the Pacific Ocean at the end of its mission, Artemis I provides an opportunity to test many aspects of NASA’s launch facilities and ground-based infrastructure, SLS operations, including separation events during ascent, Orion operations in space, and recovery procedures. During the flight, engineers will verify systems such as the spacecraft’s communications, propulsion, and navigation systems. Operating Orion in space will give engineers further confidence the spacecraft can tolerate the extreme thermal environment of deep space and successfully pass through the Van Allen Radiation Belt, that Orion’s main engine and solar array wings work as designed, and the flight operations teams can successfully manage and execute the mission, as well as demonstrate the performance of support systems for NASA facilities needed during the flight.
3. Retrieve Orion after splashdown
   While engineers will receive data throughout the flight, retrieving the crew module after splashdown will provide information to engineers to inform future missions. Once returned to Kennedy after the mission, technicians will conduct detailed inspections of Orion, retrieve data recorded on board during the flight, reuse components such as avionics systems, and retrieve information from payloads. It will also allow NASA to demonstrate its recovery techniques and procedures, which are critical to the safe return of future crews.

4. Accomplish additional flight test objectives
   A number of additional objectives will demonstrate other capabilities and aspects of the rocket, spacecraft, integrated systems, and recovery plans. Some of these flight test objectives include certifying Orion’s optical navigation system, deploying the 10 CubeSats riding inside the Orion stage adapter, operating the technology and biology payloads onboard Orion, and collecting imagery throughout the mission.

Before the Artemis I mission launches on its way around the Moon, the launch team at Kennedy and supporting teams across the country will begin the launch countdown about two days before liftoff.

The launch countdown contains "L Minus” and "T Minus" times. "L minus" indicates how far away liftoff is in hours and minutes and does not include built-in holds. “T minus” time is a sequence of events that are built into the launch countdown where counting and holds are inserted.

Pauses in the countdown, or "holds," are built into the countdown to allow the launch team to target a precise launch window, and to provide a cushion of time for certain tasks and procedures without impacting the overall schedule. For the Artemis I countdown, planned built-in holds vary in length and occur at the following times: L-8 hours 40 minutes, and L-40 minutes.

These key events will take place during the countdown.

L-47 hours 40 minutes and counting

• The launch team arrives on their stations and the countdown begins (L-47, 40 minutes hours)
• The countdown clock begins (L-47H10M)
• Fill the water tank for the sound suppression system (L-47H – L-42H)
• Liquid Oxygen (LOX)/Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) system preparations for vehicle loading (L-47H – L-38H)
• The Orion spacecraft is powered up if not already powered at call to stations (L-43H – L-41H30M)
• The interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) is powered-up (L-39H30M – L-36H30M)
• The core stage is powered up (L-38H – L-37H20M)
• Final preparations of the four RS-25 engines (L-37H20M – L-32H)

L-32 hours and counting

• Core stage composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV) Pressurization to Flight Pressure (L-32H – L-23H)
• The ICPS is powered down (L-31H – L-30H30M)
• Charge Orion flight batteries to 100% (L-31H – L-27H)
• Charge core stage flight batteries (L-28H – L-22H)
• The ICPS is powered-up for launch (L-19H30M – L-16H30M)

L-15 hours and counting

• All non-essential personnel leave Launch Complex 39B (L-13H – L-11H)
• Ground Launch Sequencer (GLS) activation (L-11H15M – 10H15M)
• Air-to-gaseous nitrogen (GN2) changeover and vehicle cavity inerting (L-11H45M – launch)

L-10 hours, 40 minutes and counting

• 3.5-hour built in countdown hold begins (L-10H40M – L-7H10M)
• Launch team conducts a weather and tanking briefing (L-10H40M – L-9H50M)
• Launch team decides if they are “go” or “no-go” to begin tanking the rocket (L-9H40M)
• Core stage LOX transfer line chilldown (L-9H15M – L-9H)
• Core stage LH2 transfer line chilldown (L-9H15M – L-8H45M)

L-8 hours and counting

• Core stage LOX main propulsion system chilldown (L-9H – L-8H20M)
• Core stage LH2 slow fill start (L-8H45M – L-7H50M)
• Core stage LOX slow fill (L-8H20M – L-8H5M)
• Core stage LOX fast fill (L-8H5M – L-5H15M)
• Core stage LH2 fast fill (L-7H50M – L-6H10M)
• Engine bleed kick start (L-7H40M – L-7H20M)
• Core stage LH2 topping (L-6H10M – L6H5M)
• Core stage LH2 replenish (L-6H5M – launch)
• Core stage LOX topping (L-5H15M– L-5H5M)
• ICPS LH2 ground support equipment and tank chilldown (L-5H20M – L-5H)

L-5 hours and counting

• Core stage LOX replenish (L-5H5M – launch)
• ICPS LOX main propulsion system chilldown (L-5H5M– L-4H45M)
• ICPS LH2 fast fill start (L-5H5M – L4H5M)
• Orion communications system activated (RF to Mission Control) (L-4H20M – L-3H45M)
• ICPS LOX fast fill (L-4H55M– L-4H10M)
• ICPS LOX validation and leak test (L-4H10M – L-3H40M)
• ICPS LH2 validation and leak test (L-4H – L-3H40M)
• ICPS LH2 tank topping start (L-3H40M – L-3H25M)
• ICPS LH2 replenish (L-3H25M – launch)
• ICPS LOX topping (L-3H40M – L-3H20M)
• ICPS LOX replenish (L-3H20M – launch)
• ICPS/Space Launch System (SLS) telemetry data verified with Mission Control Center and SLS Engineering Support Center (L-3H – L-2H50M)

L-50 minutes and counting

• Final NASA Test Director briefing is held (L-50M)

L-40 minutes and holding

• Built in 30-minute countdown hold begins (L-40M)

L-15 minutes and holding

• The launch director polls the team to ensure they are “go” for launch

T-10 minutes and counting

• Ground Launch Sequencer (GLS) initiates terminal count (T-10M)
• GLS go for core stage tank pressurization (T-6M)
• Orion ascent pyros are armed (T-6M)
• Orion set to internal power (T-6M)
• Core stage LH2 terminate replenish (T-5M57S)
• GLS is go for flight termination system (FTS) arm (T-5M)
• GLS is go for LH2 high flow bleed check (T-4M40S)
• GLS is go for core stage auxiliary power unit (APU) start (T-4M)
• Core Stage APU starts (T-4M)
• Core stage LOX terminate replenish (T-4M)
• ICPS LOX terminate replenish (T-3M30S)
• GLS is go for purge sequence 4 (T-3M10S)
• ICPS switches to internal battery power (T-1M56S)
• Core stage switches to internal power (T-1M30S)
• ICPS enters terminal countdown mode (T-1M20S)
• ICPS LH2 terminate replenish (T-50S)
• GLS sends “go for automated launch sequencer” command (T-33S)
• Core stage flight computer to automated launching sequencer (T-30S)
• Hydrogen burn off igniters initiated (T-12S)
• GLS sends the command for core stage engine start (T-10S)
• RS-25 engines startup (T-6.36S)

T-0

• Booster ignition, umbilical separation, and liftoff

Inside the terminal countdown, teams have a few options to hold the count if needed.

• The launch team can hold at 6 minutes for the duration of the launch window, less the 6 minutes needed to launch, without having to recycle back to 10 minutes.
• If teams need to stop the clock between T-6 minutes and T-1 minute, 30 seconds, they can hold for up to 3 minutes and resume the clock to launch. If they require more than 3 minutes of hold time, the countdown would recycle back to T-10.
• If the clock stops after T-1 minute and 30 seconds, but before the automated launch sequencer takes over, then teams can recycle back to T-10 to try again, provided there is adequate launch window remaining.
• After handover to the automated launch sequencer, any issue that would stop the countdown would lead to concluding the launch attempt for that day.

The weather guidelines for Artemis I identify each condition that must be met to safely roll out to the pad and launch.

These guidelines include criteria for various meteorological conditions. Weather teams refer to these criteria while monitoring the elements and implement constraints when conditions could affect rollout or liftoff.

If other potential weather hazards exist beyond those in the guidelines, the launch weather team will report the hazardous condition to the launch director, who will determine whether launching would expose Artemis I to a weather hazard.

BASIC WEATHER CRITERIA FOR ROLL TO THE PAD

Do not roll to launch pad if the lightning forecast is greater than 10% within 20 nautical miles of the launch area during rollout.

Do not roll to launch pad if there is greater than a 5% chance of hail forecast in the launch area during rollout.

Do not roll to launch pad if the peak winds exceed 40 knots in the launch area during rollout.

Do not roll to launch pad if temperature is less than 40 degrees Fahrenheit or exceeds 95 degrees Fahrenheit at the launch area during rollout.

BASIC WEATHER LAUNCH CRITERIA AT THE PAD FOR LIFTOFF

TEMPERATURE

Do not initiate tanking if the 24-hour average temperature at both 132.5 feet and 257.5 feet is less than 41.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

Do not launch if the temperature at both 132.5 feet and 257.5 feet exceeds 94.5 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 consecutive minutes.

Do not launch if the temperature at both 132.5 feet and 257.5 feet drops below a defined temperature constraint for 30 consecutive minutes. The temperature constraints range from 38 degrees Fahrenheit to 49 degrees Fahrenheit, depending upon the wind and relative humidity. Higher wind and relative humidity result in a colder temperature constraint.

WIND

Do not launch if the peak liftoff winds exceed a range of 29 knots through 39 knots between 132.5 feet and 457.5 feet, respectively.

Do not launch through upper-level wind conditions that could lead to control problems for the launch vehicle.

PRECIPITATION

Do not launch through precipitation.

LIGHTNING

Do not initiate tanking of the core stage or interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) if the lightning forecast is greater than 20% within 5 nautical miles of the launch area during tanking.

Do not launch for 30 minutes after lightning is observed within 10 nautical miles of the flight path, unless specified conditions related to cloud distance and surface electrical fields can be met.

Do not launch if the flight path is within 10 nautical miles of the edge of a thunderstorm that is producing lightning until 30 minutes after the last lightning discharge is observed.

Do not launch if the flight path is within 10 nautical miles of an attached thunderstorm anvil cloud unless temperature, time since last lightning, and distance criteria can be met, and if within 3 nautical miles, maximum radar reflectivity criteria also are satisfied.

Do not launch if the flight path is within 10 nautical miles of a detached thunderstorm anvil cloud unless temperature, time since lightning and/or detachment, and distance criteria can be met, and if within 3 nautical miles, maximum radar reflectivity criteria also are satisfied.

CLOUDS

Do not launch if the flight path is within 3 nautical miles of a thunderstorm debris cloud for 3 hours, unless temperature, surface electric field, and radar reflectivity criteria can be met.

Do not launch if the flight path is within 5 nautical miles of disturbed weather clouds that extend into freezing temperatures and contain moderate or greater precipitation.

Do not launch through a cloud layer that is within 5 nautical miles, greater than 4,500 feet thick, and extends into freezing temperatures, unless specific criteria related to radar reflectivity and cloud altitude can be met.

Do not launch if the flight path is within 10 nautical miles of cumulus clouds with certain distance and height criteria. There are additional caveats that could be met for clouds not reaching 23 degrees Fahrenheit.

Do not launch through cumulus clouds formed as the result of or directly attached to a smoke plume, unless more than 60 minutes passed since detachment from the smoke plume.

Do not launch for 15 minutes if field mill instrument readings within 5 nautical miles of the launch pad equal or exceed +/- 1,500 volts per meter, or +/- 1,000 volts per meter, unless specific caveats related to clouds within 10 nautical miles of the flight path can be met.

SOLAR ACTIVITY

Do not launch during active solar activity resulting in increased density of solar energetic particles.