NASA Takes Control of Orion for Artemis II

For the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972, NASA has officially received a spacecraft designed to carry humans to the Moon. On Thursday, Lockheed Martin, the primary contractor for the Orion capsule, handed over the Artemis II spacecraft to NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems team at Kennedy Space Center.

NASA is scheduling Artemis II to launch from Kennedy Space Center by April 2026. The mission will carry astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day journey around the Moon, without landing. “NASA has delayed the launch date several times since it completed the uncrewed Artemis I mission in late 2022.”

Kirk Shireman, who leads Lockheed Martin’s Orion program, said, “We aim for a flight rate of one per year, but we’re not there yet.”
“It’s well understood that increasing flight frequency lowers production costs, reduces overall expenses, and helps sustain public interest.”

Artemis II will mark Orion’s third spaceflight. Originally developed under President George W.Bush’s Constellation program canceled the spacecraft, but later, NASA integrated it into the Artemis program, which uses the powerful Space Launch System rocket for deep-space missions.

Orion completed a brief test flight in 2014, followed by the uncrewed Artemis I mission in 2022, which sent the spacecraft into orbit around the Moon.

During that flight, Orion re-entered Earth’s atmosphere at speeds approaching 24,500 mph, experiencing temperatures of 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Unanticipated damage to the heat shield’s protective coating led to an investigation, delaying the Artemis II mission well beyond its original schedule into the next decade.

NASA’s Ambitious Timeline for Artemis Program During Trump’s First Term

As late as 2020, during President Trump’s first term, NASA was still aiming for the ambitious, though ultimately unfeasible, goal of launching Artemis I in 2021, Artemis II in 2023, and Artemis III—intended to return humans to the Moon in 2024.

Artemis I launched a year later than originally scheduled. The delay was largely due to damage to the mobile launcher from the 8.8 million pounds of thrust generated by the SLS rocket, as well as issues with the Orion heat shield. These problems contributed to the postponement of Artemis II, first to 2024, then to 2025, and now to early 2026.

NASA had requested that all its Artemis program partners try to beat deadlines and achieve flight as early as February, while still aiming for Artemis III to launch in the summer of 2027. Artemis III depends on SpaceX to develop a functional version of its Starship rocket to serve as the human landing system.

“We are striving to accelerate our production for the flights of Artemis 3, 4, 5, and beyond. NASA has been collaborating with us and encouraging us to keep pushing forward,” Shireman said.

NASA’s Directive: Meet Deadlines and Aim to Exceed Expectations

“The guidance we’ve received from NASA is, ‘We need to meet our deadlines, and it would be great if you could beat those dates,’ and that’s the approach we’ve been taking,” he said.

He also mentioned that a new issue with Orion’s batteries, discovered late last year, has led teams to forecast final delivery by the end of May.

“I’m incredibly proud that we’ve not only met but actually accelerated that timeline,” he said, pointing out that Lockheed managed to gain back almost a month. “That’s quite remarkable for such a complex spacecraft.”

NASA will eventually assemble Orion atop the SLS rocket in the Vehicle Assembly Building. Once complete, they could move the rocket and spacecraft on the mobile launcher to Launch Pad 39-B for testing before the year’s end, where NASA plans to keep it until launch.

Shireman: NASA Pleased with Lockheed’s Performance

Shireman expressed that he believes NASA is satisfied with Lockheed’s performance.

He acknowledged that it didn’t go entirely smoothly, noting that they identified and addressed several issues before they could threaten the schedule. “The team has been putting in a lot of effort and is likely feeling quite fatigued. So, they’ll take a short break for 24 to 48 hours and then jump back in for Artemis III.”

He added that Lockheed has not received any indication from NASA to scale back their long-term plans for Artemis, even though the future of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft could change under a potential second Trump administration.

The Artemis program has faced delays and rising costs, drawing criticism from billionaire Jared Isaacman, who awaits Senate confirmation after being nominated as the next NASA administrator.

Isaacman has told senators that he supports the plan at least through Artemis III, particularly as the U.S. works to compete with China’s lunar ambitions. However, after achieving a lunar landing, he believes the nation should explore commercial options, such as SpaceX’s Starship or Blue Origin’s New Glenn, for future lunar missions.

Shireman Advocates for Orion on SLS in the Short Term, Despite Future Uncertainties

Shireman continued to advocate for the current plan of launching Orion atop the SLS in the short term, even though future plans might change.

“You could launch an Orion on a New Glenn and create a new architecture,” he explained. But when you introduce new elements that don’t exist yet and haven’t been developed, delays happen.

“That’s why I strongly believe the fastest path to getting American boots back on the moon is with SLS and Orion on Artemis III,” he added.

However, he emphasized that the spacecraft should remain a key part of whatever the future holds for deep-space exploration.

“Ultimately, we may shift to something different,” Shireman said. “Our goal is to be part of returning Americans to the moon with a sustainable lunar program. And if the administration decides to alter the architecture, we’ll gladly collaborate on that.”

Read the original article on: Physorg

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