The RS-25 engine during the hot-fire test on December Gif: NASA/SSC/Gizmodo
The crewed Artemis 5 mission to the Moon won’t happen until 2028 at the earliest, but the mission and those that follow will benefit from upgraded RS-25 engines, which NASA will use to power future iterations of its gigantic Space Launch System rocket.
This month’s first hot-fire test of the newly redesigned RS-25 engine lasted for 209.5 seconds, falling short of the planned 500 seconds, according to a NASA statement. The space agency performed the test on December 14 at Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis in Mississippi, with the engine firmly strapped to the Fred Haise Test Stand. Footage of the test is available at the Stennis Facebook page.
A monitoring system automatically triggered the early shutdown. Engineers with Aerojet Rocketdyne, the developer of the RS-25 engine, and NASA are now looking at the data to evaluate the test and determine why it ended prematurely. A future hot-fire test will eventually need to last for the full duration, as 500 seconds (8.5 minutes) is the same amount of time the RS-25 needs to operate to send SLS to space.
The RS-25 hot-fire test happened on the Fred Haise Test Stand at Stennis Space Center on December 14. Photo: NASA/SSC
“Much like launch, test campaigns are dynamic events that allow us to learn more about the SLS rocket hardware,” Johnny Heflin, liquid engines manager for the Space Launch System at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, said in the statement. “Preliminary data indicates the engine was performing nominally.”
That the test did not proceed to full duration is hardly a problem. The upgraded engine won’t be needed until the Artemis 5 mission, currently scheduled for 2028. It’s through NASA’s Artemis program that the United States is seeking to re-visit the Moon and, eventually, plan crewed trips to Mars. The recently concluded Artemis 1 mission was a big success, serving as a preamble for more complex trips to the Moon.
NASA currently possesses one dozen RS-25 engines taken from retired Space Shuttles and modified for use on the SLS core stage. The space agency had 16, but four of them, used during Artemis 1, are now at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Such will be the fate of the remaining 12, which will go into use during Artemis 2, 3, and 4. SLS is an expendable rocket, requiring NASA and its partners to build new versions for each Artemis mission.
More on this story: Artemis 1: To Boldly Go Where Four RS-25 Engines Have Gone Many Times Before
The updated RS-25 features a new powerhead component, nozzle, and controller, the latter two of which have not yet been installed. The Fred Haise Test Stand itself has seen some recent upgrades, including work to improve the stand’s high-pressure water system, flame deflector, and thrust vector control system, among other tweaks.
The engine, designated E10001, being delivered to the test stand at Stennis Photo: NASA/SSC
The recent test at Stennis is in advance of certification tests planned for early 2023. Once that’s done, Aerojet Rocketdyne can then kickstart the production process, producing multiple units for future Artemis missions. The company is currently under contract with NASA to produce 24 new RS-25 engines.
Each RS-25 engine weighs about 7,800 pounds and generates 512,300 pounds of thrust. During the Artemis 1 liftoff, SLS produced around 8.8 million pounds of thrust, with power contributions also coming from the two solid rocket boosters.
Orion captured this breathtaking view of Earth rising behind the Moon shortly after its second close lunar flyby on December 5. Photo: NASA
From long-awaited rocket launches to an unprecedented asteroid encounter, the past 12 months in spaceflight have been a doozy. The events of 2022 will be shaping space exploration and commercialization for years to come.
These striking images will let you relive the biggest moments of the year, like the Artemis 1 lunar mission, the DART asteroid deflection test, and the out-of-control Chinese rockets (yes, plural). Good, bad, or ugly, these developments produced a wealth of memorable imagery.
Orion’s view of the Moon on December 5, the 20th day of the mission.Photo: NASA
NASA’s Artemis 1 mission concluded with Orion’s immaculate splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday. Seemingly a billion years—and most assuredly a few billion dollars—in the making, the mission ended far too quickly for space junkies like me. But in those short few weeks, it managed to nail all its primary objectives. Artemis 1 was strictly meant as a demonstration mission, a way for NASA to test its new SLS megarocket and Orion spacecraft.
It’s still early days, but the mission appears to have been a big success. And because NASA achieved its major goals, we can talk about what went right, what went wrong, and what the successful mission means for the future. Here are seven things we learned from Artemis 1.
1. NASA’s Artemis Moon plans are officially on track
For years, I’ve had to write about NASA’s “upcoming Artemis missions” or “pending trips to the Moon,” but with the success of Artemis 1, it’s fair to say that the space agency’s next era of exploration has officially begun. Artemis—we are officially in you.
NASA’s SLS on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on November 4, 2022. Photo: NASA/Kim Shiflett
I have little doubt that NASA’s current timelines for the Artemis missions, including a crewed landing in 2025, are wholly unrealistic. The space agency’s auditor general has said as much. Anticipated launch dates will repeatedly be pushed back for various reasons, whether it be on account of overdue Moonsuits, lunar landers, or any other element required for these increasingly complex missions.
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It’s doubtful that Congress will sabotage or otherwise scuttle NASA’s Artemis plans by withholding funds, but as the holder of the purse strings, it remains the chamber’s prerogative to do so. That said, China is full steam ahead on its plans to send its taikonauts to the lunar surface during the mid-2030s. The U.S. has already put humans on the Moon, but China’s space ambitions are spawning a renewed space race, with some experts saying “we’re falling behind.”
2. SLS is a beast
NASA’s Space Launch System rocket finally roared to life on November 16, sending an uncrewed Orion on its historic journey around the Moon. Blasting off with 8.8 million pounds of thrust, it’s now the most powerful operational rocket in the world and the most powerful rocket ever built. The space agency finally has its megarocket, a necessity of the Artemis program, which seeks to land humans on the Moon later this decade and place a space station, called Gateway, in lunar orbit.
SLS blasting off on November 16, 2022. Photo: Terry Renna (AP)
“The first launch of the Space Launch System rocket was simply eye-watering,” Mark Sarafin, Artemis mission manager, said in a November 30 statement, adding that the rocket’s performance “was off by less than 0.3 percent in all cases across the board.” The rocket program was marred by budget overruns and delays, but SLS ultimately did exactly what it was supposed to do—while dropping our jaws in the process.
3. SLS wreaks havoc to the launch pad—and the pocket books
SLS is awesome, no doubt, but it comes with certain complications.
The launch vehicle’s core stage runs on a mixture of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen, the same super-leaky propellant that caused major headaches during the Space Shuttle era. Kennedy Space Center ground teams battled hydrogen leaks in advance of the rocket’s inaugural launch, resulting in multiple scrubs and an impromptu cryogenic tanking test in September. The team learned that the finicky rocket requires a kinder, gentler approach to tanking, but hydrogen leaks may continue to pose a problem during future launches.
When the megarocket did finally manage to blast off, it caused significant damage at the launch pad, including new scorch marks, missing paint, battered nitrogen and helium supply lines, and fried cameras. At liftoff, the powerful shockwave also tore off the tower’s elevator doors. NASA officials downplayed the damage, saying some of it was expected. Regardless, the mobile launcher is now in the Vehicle Assembly Building undergoing repairs.
Finally, the rocket, which first emerged as an idea 12 years ago and cost $23 billion to develop, is fully expendable, meaning each SLS rocket must be built from scratch. NASA inspector general Paul Martin expects each launch of SLS to cost upwards of $4.1 billion, “a price tag that strikes us as unsustainable,” he told Congress earlier this year.
SpaceX is currently building its own megarocket, called Starship, which promises to be fully reusable and more powerful than SLS (though to be clear, and as NASA administrator Bill Nelson has stated on numerous occasions, the space agency has no intention of launching Orion with Starship). NASA’s rocket will become an anachronism the moment that Elon Musk’s rocket takes flight. So while SLS’s debut performance was exemplary, the Artemis program as a whole is far from ideal in terms of its execution.
4. Deep space is unwelcoming place for cubesats
SLS, in addition to Orion, delivered 10 cubesats to space. These secondary Artemis 1 payloads went off on their various journeys, but only six of them are functioning as intended, including Arizona State University’s LunaH-Map mission, NASA’s BioSentinel, and Japan’s EQUULEUS mission.
Artist’s impression of Lockheed Martin’s LunIR cubesat, which failed shortly after launch. Image: Lockheed Martin
The same cannot be said for the other four, namely Southwest Research Institute’s CuSP (CubeSat for Solar Particles), Lockheed Martin’s LunIR, NASA’s Near-Earth Asteroid Scout (NEA Scout), and Japan’s tiny OMOTENASHI lunar lander—all of which failed shortly after launch. Each failed for different reasons, such as the inability to establish deep space communications, issues with battery power, and deficient designs. The high attrition rate served as a potent reminder: Space is hard, and deep space is even harder.
5. Orion is humanity’s most impressive spaceship yet
We’ve witnessed plenty of capable spacecraft over the years. NASA’s Apollo Command and Service Module was really cool, as was the Space Shuttle. Russia’s Soyuz continues to be super reliable, while SpaceX’s Crew Dragon is the epitome of modern spacefaring. These spaceships are all great, but NASA’s Orion is now, in my opinion, the most impressive crew-friendly vehicle ever built.
Orion and Earth, as imaged on December 3, 2022. Photo: NASA
The partially reusable Orion consists of a crew module, designed by Lockheed Martin, and the expendable European Service Module, built by Airbus Defence and Space. The system performed exceptionally well during the entire Artemis 1 mission, save for some minor annoyances (which I’ll get to in just a bit). Orion traveled to the Moon, successfully entered into its target distant retrograde orbit, performed a pair of closelunar flybys, and managed to survive skip reentry and splashdown. Each and every course correction maneuver was pulled off without difficulty, with Orion using less fuel than expected.
More on this story: NASA Wants More Spacecraft for Its Upcoming Artemis Moon Missions
The uncrewed Orion clocked over 1.3 million miles during its journey, while establishing a pair of new milestone records. The spacecraft flew to a maximum distance of 268,554 miles (432,194 kilometers) from Earth—the farthest distance traveled by any crew-rated vehicle. And when it came home, Orion slammed into the atmosphere at speeds reaching Mach 32, marking the fastest return velocity in history for a passenger spacecraft. The capsule’s 16.5-foot-wide heat shield protected Orion from the 5,000-degree-Fahrenheit temperatures experienced during reentry.
The next big test for Orion will be Artemis 2, for which it will need to transport four astronauts around the Moon and back. But the upcoming Artemis missions are only the beginning, as NASA plans to use Orion for crewed trips to Mars one day.
6. Orion still needs some tweaking
Artemis 1 unfolded as planned, but that’s not to say it wasn’t without problems. Mike Sarafin, the mission manager, called these anomalies “funnies” throughout Orion’s journey, but I doubt the team found them very amusing.
During the early days of the mission, Orion’s star tracker, which assists with navigation, was “dazzled” by Orion’s thruster plumes. “The thrusters were being picked up by the star tracker because it was thrusting over the field of view of the star tracker by design,” Sarafin told reporters on November 18. “The light was hitting the plume and it was picking it up,” which confused the software. Ultimately, nothing was really wrong with the star tracker, and the team was able to move forward once the problem was recognized.
One of four solar arrays that successfully powered Orion during its 25.5-day mission. Photo: NASA
The scariest moment happened on November 23, the seventh day of the mission, when ground controllers temporarily and unexpectedly lost contact with the spacecraft for 47 minutes. NASA isn’t sure what caused the issue.
During the final days of the mission, one of Orion’s four limiters suddenly switched off. This limiter, which is responsible for downstream power, was successfully turned back on before the glitch was able to cause serious problems. The anomaly might be related to a similar issue experienced earlier, when a component in the service module spontaneously opened without a command. Seems as though Orion brought a gremlin along for the journey.
Lastly, one of Orion’s phased array antennas exhibited “degraded behavior” during the final days of the mission, as Sarfin told reporters on December 8. This resulted in “low performance” and some “communication problems,” but nothing that endangered the mission, he said. This issue, among others, will be scrutinized and hopefully addressed in time for Artemis 2, currently planned for 2024.
7. The Moon remains a desolate and beautiful place
Images beamed back from the lunar environment served as a reminder that the Moon, though dim and stark, remains an intriguing and visually fascinating place. Sure, the Apollo missions brought back unprecedented images of the lunar landscape, but it’s still the Moon—our Moon—a place we don’t tend to visit very often (with all due respect to NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, in operation since 2009, and China’s Chang’e 4 lander Yutu-2 rover, which reached the far side in early 2019).
A high-resolution image of the Moon, as captured by Orion on December 7, 2022. Photo: NASA
Artemis 1 was like visiting an old friend, though an old friend filled with craters, mountain ranges, and an assortment of other fascinating surface features. What’s more, the lunar environment is a place where we can expect the unexpected, including impossibly picturesque Earthrises illuminated by the Sun. So yes, the Moon remains a worthwhile destination, as we set our sights on the next exciting phase of human space exploration.
More: See the Best Images from the Thrilling Artemis 1 Splashdown
NASA’s Orion spacecraft reached its maximum distance from Earth on November 28.Image: NASA
After traveling more than 1.4 million miles (2.2 million kilometers) on an historic journey to the Moon and back, NASA’s Orion capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday following its near-perfect test flight.
This week, NASA released a 24-minute video highlighting some of the most exciting moments from the 25.5 day mission from the moment the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket launched until the Orion spacecraft parachuted its way down.
Artemis I Mission Highlights
SLS lifted off from Launch Pad 39B at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on November 16, initiating NASA’s Artemis program that plans on returning humans to the Moon after more than 50 years.
The video starts off with the explosive launch, revealing a unique rocket POV as it leaves the ground. SLS’ two side boosters and four RS-25 engines produced a whopping 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, making it the most powerful rocket ever built.
The rocket is then seen soaring through the dark skies, followed by a fiery tail. The side boosters and core stage fell within the first 500 seconds of the mission, while the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage moved Orion towards its trajectory before separating from the spacecraft.
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Afterwards, all focus is on Orion. The video then shows the inside of the crew cabin, which was decorated with hidden messages and mementos. The loud roars of the rocket launch are followed by the peaceful calm of space, with breathtaking views of Earth and the Moon taken by Orion’s cameras.
The uncrewed capsule is eerily quiet, with the back of Commander Moonikin Campos, a manikin designed to collect flight data, towards the camera. But the inanimate commander is enjoying quite the view, with hauntingly memorable shots that reveal Earth and its satellite within the depths of space.
During the mission, Orion performed two lunar flybys and came within a distance of 80 miles (128 kilometers) from the Moon’s surface.
With a little less than 10 minutes left in the video, the Orion capsule begins its descent back to Earth. Orion went from 20,000 miles per hour (32,100 kilometers per hour) down to 20 mph (32 km/hr) during its parachute-assisted descent. During its re-entry through Earth’s atmosphere, Orion endured temperatures of about 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,760 degrees Celsius), which is around half as hot as the surface of the Sun, according to NASA.
The video provides a dizzying POV as the capsule makes its way down to the ocean, with the three parachutes fluttering overhead. Orion finally plops into the ocean, ending its unprecedented journey to the Moon and back.
More: NASA Hid These Easter Eggs for Space Nerds on the Artemis 1 Orion Capsule
The Orion capsule was uncrewed but filled with several mementos. Image: NASA
Following its trip to the Moon and back, NASA’s Orion spacecraft splashed down into the Pacific Ocean on Sunday. The inaugural flight for the Artemis program may have been uncrewed, but Orion carried five souvenirs to honor a legacy of lunar exploration.
NASA has a longstanding tradition of stashing hidden messages and mementos on board its spacecraft. In 1977, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 launched to interstellar space carrying a 12-inch gold-plated copper disk known as The Golden Record. The phonograph record included various images and sounds that represent life on Earth, in case it is ever found by spacefaring aliens. More recently, NASA engineers encoded a binary message on the Perseverance rover’s parachute that read, “Dare Mighty Things.”
For the Artemis 1 mission to the Moon, NASA stuck to a lunar theme. The Orion capsule had five hidden messages placed around the crew cabin, NASA revealed in a press release on Saturday.
Binary code
Image: NASA
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Binary code for the number 18 was placed on the top of the pilot’s seat as a tribute to NASA’s Apollo program. On December 11, 1972, the Apollo 17 mission touched down on the Moon, marking the last time astronauts walked on the lunar surface.
With the Artemis program, NASA is hoping to land humans on the Moon as part of the Artemis 3 mission set to take place no earlier than 2025. The number 18 symbolizes humanity’s return to the Moon following Apollo 17.
Fly Me to the Moon
Image: NASA
On the right side of the Orion spacecraft, the letters CBAGF are written below one of the windows. The letters symbolize Frank Sinatra’s song, “Fly Me to the Moon,” representing the musical notes of the familiar tune.
A tribute cardinal
Image: NASA
NASA placed an image of a cardinal above the window to the right of Orion’s pilot seat as a tribute to Mark Geyer, former Orion program manager, who died in 2021. Geyer was a devout St. Louis Cardinals fan, according to NASA.
Code for Charlie
Image: NASA
The space agency also paid tribute to the life of former Orion Deputy Program Manager Charlie Lundquist, who died in 2020.
NASA included the morse code for “Charlie” to recognize the role that Lundquist played in the development of Orion.
European cooperation
Image: NASA
NASA recognized the cooperation of its partners from the European Space Agency who developed the service module for the Orion spacecraft.
In front of the pilot’s seat, the space agency included the country codes of each country that took part in developing the spacecraft, including the United States, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Spain, and The Netherlands.
More: Orion Splashes Down in Pacific, Ending NASA’s Historic Artemis 1 Moon Mission
Orion’s view of the Moon and crescent Earth moments after completing its second close lunar flyby on December 5.Photo: NASA
Orion’s most recent accomplishments include a new distance record, a close flyby of the Moon, and a trajectory correction maneuver that sent the uncrewed capsule on its journey back to Earth. Not surprisingly, these milestone events made for some excellent photo opportunities.
Artemis 1 is nearly over, with the historic 25.5-day mission concluding just four days from now. It’s been a big success, with Orion entering and then exiting its target distant retrograde orbit around the Moon. Many memorable photos have been captured throughout the mission, but a newly released set contains some of the best taken so far.
The SLS rocket taking off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo: NASA
NASA has conducted a preliminary review of the inaugural Space Launch System launch, saying the rocket met and even exceeded all expectations.
On Wednesday, NASA released its initial analysis of SLS’ performance as it lifted off on November 16, sending an uncrewed Orion spacecraft to the Moon for the space agency’s Artemis 1 mission. “The first launch of the Space Launch System rocket was simply eye-watering,” Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager, said in a statement. “While our mission with Orion is still underway and we continue to learn over the course of our flight, the rocket’s systems performed as designed and as expected in every case.”
NASA’s 5.75-million-pound rocket took off from Launch Pad 39B at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center at 1:47 a.m. ET on November 16. The space agency released a stunning supercut of the launch (see the video below), which includes dramatic POVs from the rocket as it soared into the dark Florida skies.
Rocket Camera Footage from the World’s Most Powerful Rocket
As it fired up its engines, the rocket’s booster motors produced more than 7 million pounds (3.1 million kilograms) of thrust at liftoff. The rocket and its accompanying spacecraft traveled at a speed of more than 4,000 miles per hour (8,000 kilometers per hour) in just two minutes before the booster separated from the rocket. The rocket’s core stage and four RS-25 engines burned through the stage’s 735,000 gallons of propellants in just over eight minutes, NASA reported.
SLS delivered the Orion capsule within about 3 miles (6 kilometers) of its planned orbital altitude and at speeds reaching 17,500 miles per hour (28,160 kilometers per hour), according to NASA. That’s when the rocket’s upper stage performed two burns to first raise Orion’s orbit and then propel it toward the Moon. Afterwards, the upper stage’s single RL-10 engine fired for more than 18 minutes—setting a single duration burn record—to send Orion on its journey to the Moon. “Performance was off by less than 0.3 percent in all cases across the board,” Sarafin said in the statement.
Engineers will continue to study SLS’ performance during the Artemis 1 launch over the next several months as NASA prepares to build the next rocket for the launch of Artemis 2 (currently scheduled for 2024). “With this amazing Moon rocket, we’ve laid the foundation for Artemis and for our long-term presence at the Moon,” John Honeycutt, SLS program manager at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, said in the statement. The performance of the rocket and the team supporting its maiden voyage was simply outstanding.”
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SLS’ journey to liftoff was bumpy, with the rocket enduring several delays and two scrubbed launch attempts. The first scrub was due to a faulty sensor, while the second scrub was the result of an unmanageable hydrogen leak.
More: Watch NASA’s Orion Spacecraft Attempt to Break Free From Lunar Orbit
Orion with the Moon and Earth in the background. The image was taken on November 28, when Orion was 268,563 miles away from our home planet. Photo: NASA
It’s day 16 of the 25.5-day Artemis 1 mission, which means it’s time for the Orion spacecraft to begin its journey back home. The uncrewed capsule departed distant retrograde orbit on Thursday afternoon following a successful exit burn.
Update: December 1, 5:02 p.m. ET: NASA declared a “nominal burn,” which began at 4:54 p.m. ET and lasted for one minute and 45 seconds. Orion will now leave distant retrograde orbit and perform a flyby of the Moon as it charts a course back home.
Orion during the trajectory burn. Screenshot: NASA TV
Original post follows.
Orion successfully entered into distant retrograde orbit (DRO) on November 25, but now the spacecraft will move to a trajectory that will take it back to Earth. The requisite departure burn is scheduled for today at 4:53 p.m. ET, with NASA coverage starting at 4:30 p.m. ET. You can follow along at NASA TV, YouTube, or at the live stream below.
NASA Live: Official Stream of NASA TV
The DRO departure burn will send Orion on a trajectory that will take it to within 80 miles (128 kilometers) of the lunar surface, which will happen on December 5, or day 20 of the Artemis 1 mission. During this close lunar approach, Orion will perform another course correction burn at 11:43 a.m. ET. NASA expects to gather more detailed images of the Moon during the flyby, similar to Orion’s first lunar flyby on November 21.
More on this story: NASA’s Orion sends back haunting new views of the Moon’s tortured surface
Orion made history earlier this week when it reached its maximum distance from Earth. At approximately 268,558 miles (432,194 km) from home, it’s the farthest that any crew-rated vehicle has ventured away from our home planet.
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Orion launched to space atop NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on November 16. The purpose of this, the debut mission of the Artemis era, is for NASA to demonstrate the new rocket and an uncrewed Orion spacecraft. For Artemis 2, currently scheduled for 2024, NASA will perform a repeat of this mission but with four astronauts along for the ride. This is all prelude to the ultimate goal: landing a man and a woman on the lunar surface later this decade.
Artemis 1 appears to be going exceptionally well, with both SLS and Orion doing exactly what they’re supposed to do. The mission management team met yesterday, giving the “go” to proceed with today’s DRO departure burn.
“We are continuing to collect flight test data and buy down risk for crewed flight,” Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager, said in a statement. “We continue to learn how the system is performing, where our margins are, and how to operate and work with the vehicle as an integrated team.”
Orion will reach Earth on December 11 and perform a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean at 12:42 p.m. ET. Well, assuming the spacecraft survives atmospheric reentry, in which Orion’s heat shield must endure temperatures in excess of 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
More: Gifts for the spaceflight enthusiast in your life
Scorching and other minor damage at Launch Pad 39B.Screenshot: NASA TV
A scorched platform, fried cameras, broken pipes, and a busted elevator are among the casualties of last week’s launch of NASA’s SLS rocket. Mobile Launcher 1 and Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center will require repairs, but NASA says they’ll be ready for the next Artemis mission.
Space Launch System, or SLS, blasted off during the early hours of Wednesday, November 16, sending the Orion capsule on a 25.5-day journey to the Moon and back. It was a picture-perfect launch, and NASA has said as much. Preliminary data from the Artemis 1 flight indicates that SLS performed as well as or even exceeded expectations, Mike Sarafin, Artemis 1 mission manager, told reporters yesterday.
SLS’s performance deviations were less than 0.3% across the board, and the rocket missed NASA’s target orbital insertion by just 3 nautical miles, according to Sarafin. He reminded reporters that SLS exerted 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, and the fact that SLS deviated by 7 feet each second is still “remarkable” in terms of precision. “The results were eye-watering,” he added.
The tower’s elevator doors were blasted clean off. Screenshot: NASA TV
Photojournalists at Kennedy Space Center have been told to not take photos of Launch Complex 39B for security reasons (i.e., ITAR restrictions; NASA says photos of the now-exposed umbilical plates would represent a security violation), and possibly because NASA doesn’t want to promote the fact that its launch tower was damaged.
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During a press briefing on Friday, Sarafin admitted that the mobile launch tower did incur some damage as a result of the launch, which produced temperatures in excess of 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. “We expected to find damage at the pad, and we are finding damage at the pad,” Sarafin said.
Pad camera aflame as SLS blasted off. Screenshot: NASA TV
At a press briefing held yesterday, the mission management team offered further details and some visuals that detailed the scope of the damage. In addition to new scorch marks on the tower and missing paint on its deck, a number of pad cameras got burned, and some nitrogen and helium supply lines incurred minor damage. Sarafin said blast doors on the tower’s elevators were torn away by the rocket’s shock wave, so “right now the elevators are inoperable and we need to get those back into service.” All said, the damage “that we did see pertains to really, just a couple of areas,” he said, adding that SLS is largely a “very clean system.”
At the same time, the deluge system “did a great job” and the tail mast service umbilicals were “clean inside,” Sarafin explained. He added that repairs are required, but he’s confident everything will be ready for the crewed Artemis 2 mission in 2024. That might seem like plenty of time, but stacking operations for the sequel mission will likely need to start next year.
The mission management team seemed largely unfazed, and it’s entirely possible that the damage is indeed minimal or at least manageable. It might also be true that NASA is doing its best to downplay any damage induced by its new pride-and-joy. Opinions posted to Twitter varied, with some saying the damage is much worse than NASA is willing to admit, with others saying the damage isn’t a big deal and it’s all part of the engineering process. Indeed, surprises should be expected when launching the world’s most powerful rocket, but if the damage is worse than NASA is leading us to believe, then they should admit it.
Back at the lunar ranch, the uncrewed Orion capsule continues to do its thing. The spacecraft performed a close flyby of the Moon yesterday as it steadily works its way into a distant retrograde orbit around the Moon. Orion will conclude its 25.5-day mission on December 11, when it attempts an atmospheric reentry at Earth and a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. Artemis 1 is the first of what NASA hopes will be a series of missions to establish a permanent human presence in the lunar environment.
More: What’s Next for the Orion Spacecraft as It Cruises Toward the Moon
An artist’s concept of the Artemis 1 mission shortly after launch with a fully extended solar wing array. Image: NASA/Liam Yanulis
The Artemis era has officially begun following the successful launch of NASA’s Space Launch System, which delivered the Orion capsule to space. As the spacecraft begins its first uncrewed trip to the Moon and back, NASA’s on-board cameras will document the entire journey.
NASA has access to 16 cameras aboard Orion that it’s using to document Artemis 1. Orion is currently on a 25-day mission to a point 40,000 miles (64,000 kilometers) past the Moon and back, and NASA’s cameras will help the agency keep an eye on how the spacecraft handles the trip before astronauts climb aboard for future Artemis missions.
NASA says a specialized camera mounted to the crew module will guide Orion via optical navigation. This camera can take pictures of the Earth and Moon, but the size and position of these celestial objects relative to Orion is what allows the capsule to determine its position in space. The camera is also collecting data on distant stars to compare to pre-existing star maps to further help Orion navigate through space.
A head on view of the Orion spacecraft with its solar array deployed (top) and side views (bottom), complete with the positions the cameras aboard.Image: NASA
Among Orion’s many cameras is a camera mounted to the capsule’s exterior, and it’s pointing to the European Service Module, which is propelling Orion to the Moon. Additional cameras are being used to test video conferencing capabilities and to gaze into the blackness of space. Orion also has four cameras fixed to its X-shaped solar array wings that are pointed toward the capsule itself, which will give NASA a 360-degree view of Orion’s exterior. Eight cameras on the European Service Module were used to document booster and core stage separation.
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“Each of Orion’s four solar array wings has a commercial off-the-shelf camera mounted at the tip that has been highly modified for use in space, providing a view of the spacecraft exterior,” said David Melendrez in a NASA blog. Melendrez is the imagery integration lead for the Orion Program at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
This week’s launch of Orion is the first step NASA is taking toward a serious pivot back to the Moon and toward future deep space missions. While the portfolio of 16 cameras documenting nearly every move Orion is making may seem excessive, they will be capturing crucial evidence of how the spacecraft fares before its used to shuttle astronauts to the Moon and beyond.
More:What’s Next for the Orion Spacecraft as It Cruises Toward the Moon