NASA on Track for Future Missions with Initial Artemis II Assessments

Following the successful landing of NASA’s Artemis II mission on Earth, engineers began delving into detailed data analysis to evaluate the performance of key systems and subsystems on the Orion spacecraft, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and launch pad systems at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Artemis II test flight successfully launched a new era of exploration, laying the foundation for the third Artemis mission next year, missions to the lunar surface, a lunar base and future missions to Mars.

Orion spacecraft

After its 694,481-mile round trip around the Moon, the agency’s Orion spacecraft successfully re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and crashed off the coast of San Diego on April 10. The crew and spacecraft were protected by Orion’s thermal protection system as they traveled nearly 35 times the speed of sound during re-entry. Initial inspections of the system found it to be operating as designed, with no unusual conditions identified. Divers’ images of the spacecraft’s heat shield initially taken after splashdown and further inspections on the recovery ship revealed that the coal shedding behavior observed on Artemis I was significantly reduced, both in terms of quantity and size. Performance was also consistent with ground tests of the arc jet facility conducted after Artemis I.

Airborne images from Orion’s crew module were also obtained during re-entry and will be reviewed in the coming weeks. These images will provide insight into when minimal coal loss occurred as well as other heat shield data.

The crew module is expected to return to NASA Kennedy this month for additional heat shield review during Orion’s decommissioning in the Multi-Payload Processing Facility. Teams will perform detailed inspections, recover post-flight data, remove reusable components such as avionics, and eliminate remaining hazards such as excess fuel and coolant.

Over the summer, the heat shield will be transported to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for sample extraction and internal X-ray analyzes to better understand the system and material behavior.

The ceramic tiles on the upper conical rear hull of the crew module also functioned as expected.. Reflective thermal strips, which should burn off when returned, are still present in many places. This reflective strip is used to help control the vehicle’s temperature in space and does not perform any thermal protection function during re-entry.

Orion landed precisely, just 2.9 miles from the targeted landing site. Initial assessments showed the entry interface speed to be within a mile per hour of predictions.

After landing, several Orion components were removed to San Diego for post-flight analysis and future reuse before the spacecraft returned to Kennedy. These items included seats, video processing units, crew module camera controllers, storage containers and bags, and Orion Crew Survival System suit umbilicals.

The team is currently evaluating hardware and collecting data to support the post-flight investigation into the urine pipe issue during the Artemis II mission. The teams will work to identify the root cause and initiate corrective actions for Artemis III.

The American moon rocket

The SLS rocket that launched the Artemis II mission also performed well, meeting its mission objectives for the test flight. As engineers continue to study the data, an initial assessment indicates that the rocket placed Orion precisely where it needed to be in space. At main engine shutdown, when the main stage’s RS-25 liquid engines shut down, the spacecraft was traveling at more than 18,000 miles per hour, reaching its insertion speed for orbit and running a precise target for its intended location.

Exploration Field Systems

Engineers conducted a detailed post-launch and mobile launcher evaluation, following the launch of the crew and the Artemis II rocket. Applying lessons learned from Artemis I to harden and strengthen the ground support equipment on the platform proved successful as the mobile launch vehicle and launch pad suffered minimal damage following the ignition of the powerful booster.

In addition to performing washdowns of the mobile launcher and ground systems immediately after launch, some components were made more rigid, such as the elevator doors, while others were made more flexible, such as the gas distribution panels in the base of the mobile launcher, modified to flex with blast effects. Other components were protected by explosion-resistant walls or covers. These allowed the pneumatic system, which involves air and gas, to remain operational after launch and the critical cooling and washing water flows to continue.

Teams returned the NASA mobile launcher that supported the integration and launch of the Artemis II rocket to the NASA Kennedy Vehicle Assembly Building to undergo repairs and prepare to support future Artemis missions.

The agency’s recovery teams, alongside their military partners, successfully conducted recovery operations after the crew safely landed inside their spacecraft. Navy divers recovered each crew member and brought them aboard the USS John P. Murtha before helping recover the Orion spacecraft and return to Naval Base San Diego.

Using data from the first crewed mission of the Artemis program, NASA continues to prepare the hardware and teams needed to launch and fly the Artemis III mission in 2027, ahead of subsequent missions to the surface of the Moon beginning in 2028.

To learn more about NASA’s exploration of the Moon, Mars and beyond, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis