Latest news with #Artemis2
Gizmodo
02-07-2025
- Science
- Gizmodo
Rocket Engines That Flew 22 Space Shuttle Missions Are Ready for NASA's Next Moon Mission
NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) is ready to fly with its four shuttle-era engines. The rocket, outfitted with the RS-25 engines, recently passed a critical milestone that put the integrated system to the test, using a decades-old design on a new launch vehicle. NASA teams successfully completed the RS-25 engine checkout tests at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, ensuring seamless communication between the SLS core stage and its engines ahead of the first crewed mission to the lunar environment in more than 50 years. Three of the four engines being used for the upcoming Artemis 2 mission have already flown a combined 22 missions as part of NASA's iconic Shuttle program, which ran from 1981 to 2011, while one engine will be making its launch debut. 'I learned during the Space Shuttle program to listen to the engines,' Bill Muddle, RS-25 field engineer, said in a statement. 'The engines talk to you, and you have to listen and understand what they are telling you to ensure they operate properly. They will tell you if they are in ill health and need to be tweaked or if a component is having an issue and needs to be replaced. Based on the [Program Specific Engineering Test], the engines all indicated they were healthy and ready for the pad.' The RS-25 engines were built by L3 Harris Technologies' Aerojet Rocketdyne division for the shuttle project, and NASA has a total of four contracts with the company. SLS Block 1, which launched the Artemis 1 mission in November 2022 and is meant to launch Artemis 2 and 3, is powered by four RS-25 engines in its core stage, along with two solid rocket boosters. Three of the four engines that are currently being used to power SLS for Artemis 2 were part of significant milestones in the Space Shuttle program. Engine 2047 flew on the final shuttle mission on July 21, 2011, while engine 2059 flew on the program's penultimate flight. Engine 2061 was part of the mission that assisted the assembly of the International Space Station. Engine 2062, on the other hand, is a newbie, ready to make its inaugural flight. 'Every day I come to work knowing that the RS-25 field engineering team has to take care of these engines, because we know we have humans riding in Orion on top of this vehicle and these engines have to perform flawlessly,' Muddle said. 'The lives of our astronauts are in the RS-25 team's hands for the eight and a half minutes those engines are firing during launch.' The 5.75-million-pound SLS uses components from NASA's Space Shuttle program, including solid rocket boosters built by Northrop Grumman, as a way to improve its affordability. NASA's original thought process, however, did not pan out too well. The launch vehicle has already gone $6 billion over budget, with the projected cost of each SLS rocket being $144 million more than anticipated. That would increase the overall cost of a single Artemis launch to at least $4.2 billion, according to a report released in 2024 by the office of NASA's inspector general. The giant Moon rocket faces uncertainty under the current administration's proposed budget, which laid out a plan to phase out SLS and its Orion capsule and replace them with commercial substitutes. This week, however, the Senate approved a budget reconciliation bill that would allocate an additional $6 billion to Artemis' current mission architecture. If signed into law, the legislation may just give SLS, and its shuttle-era engines, a fighting chance.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Space photo of the day for June 19, 2025
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. With the upcoming Artemis 2 mission slated for launch in April 2026, the crew members practice all scenarios, including the worst cases. Crew members assigned to the Artemis 2 mission practice with mannequins inside the Crew Module Test Article (CMTA), a full-scale mockup of the Orion spacecraft, as it falls into Floridian waters as a part of a recovery procedure for a launch pad abort scenario. The module was recovered off the coast of Florida near the agency's Kennedy Space Center. The Artemis 2 mission is part of a decades long legacy in NASA's attempts to return to the moon. It will be the "first crewed mission on NASA's path to establishing a long-term presence at the moon, according to NASA. Building on the work of the Artemis 1 mission, which launched in 2022, Artemis 2 will send four crew members aboard the Orion spacecraft around the moon for 10 days. During this time the crew will be able to test the spacecraft to all the systems operate to keep humans alive in the deep space environment. Unfortunately, there are many things that can happen to stop the launch from happening, and the crew needs to be prepared for all scenarios. Working with the Department of Defense, along with NASA's flight control teams, the Artemis 2 crew members rehearse a launch pad abort scenario, using mannequins. While the mission is still several months away, running through all emergency procedures allows the team to be as prepared as possible for launch day. You can read more about the Artemis 2 mission and returning to the moon as the project's launch date gets closer.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Space photo of the day for May 7, 2025
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. NASA and Lockheed Martin officials pose together during a handover ceremony for the Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 1, 2025. | Credit: NASA/Cory S. Huston With the completion of its assembly and testing of the first Orion spacecraft set to fly astronauts to the moon, Lockheed Martin transferred possession of the Artemis 2 capsule to NASA's Exploration Ground Systems team. What is it? A modern spacecraft deserves a modern set of keys, so when it came time to hand over the Artemis 2 spacecraft to NASA, Lockheed Martin presented the space agency's Exploration Ground Systems team with a ceremonial enlarged key fob, complete with Artemis 2 mission patch key ring dongle. From the left to right: Kelvin Manning, acting director of NASA's Kennedy Space Center; Shawn Quinn, Exploration Ground Systems program manager; Lakiesha Hawkins, assistant deputy associate administrator, Moon to Mars Program office; Howard Hu, Orion program manager; Debbie Korth, Orion deputy program manager. Where is it? The May 1, 2025, handover ceremony took place inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft was then moved to the Multi-Payload Processing Facility three days later to undergo fueling and processing for prelaunch operations. Why is it amazing? Beyond the fun fob, the Artemis 2 Orion is the first spacecraft in more than 50 years to begin launch preparations to fly astronauts to the moon. The mission will see NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch together with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen fly around the moon, possibly flying further away from Earth than any human has ever done so. "This achievement is a testament to our employees and suppliers who have worked tirelessly to get us to this important milestone," said Kirk Shireman, vice president of Human Space Exploration and Orion program manager at Lockheed Martin, in a statement. "The Orion spacecraft completion for Artemis 2 is a major step forward in our nation's efforts to develop a long-term lunar presence." "It's exciting to think that soon, humans will see the Earth rise over the lunar horizon from our vehicle," he said. Want to know more? You can read more about the Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft hand over to NASA and the latest about the assembly of the mission's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. You can also read about the mission's patch as reproduced as part of the ceremonial key fob.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA just got the Orion spacecraft that will fly astronauts around the moon on Artemis 2 in 2026
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The Orion spacecraft for NASA's Artemis 2 astronaut mission was officially handed over to NASA for launch processing on May 1, 2025. | Credit: Lockheed Martin The next spacecraft to fly humans around the moon has been delivered to the only space agency on Earth to ever successfully fly astronauts to our nearest celestial neighbor. Orion, the capsule that will carry the Artemis 2 astronauts on a mission around the moon and back, has been officially handed over to NASA. The agency took possession of Orion from the spacecraft's main contractor, Lockheed Martin, on Thursday (May 1), according to a statement from the company. Now, Orion will be transported to the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. It will undergo final tests and processing ahead of incorporation with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that will send the spacecraft and its crew into orbit. SLS is currently being stacked inside NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at KSC, which will the last stop for both the rocket and Orion before rolling out to the launch pad. SLS's interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) was transported to the VAB on April 15, NASA said in a post last month. In addition to validating Orion's development tests and checkouts, Lockheed Martin was responsible for upgrading the life support and other systems essential to operate the capsule with a crew aboard, including audio communications, an exercise machine and the spacecraft's launch abort system. Artemis 2 is scheduled to launch in early 2026. It will fly NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch as well as Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a free return trajectory aboard Orion. Their mission will fly them out of Earth orbit toward the moon, which Orion will slingshot around and then come back home. "The Orion spacecraft completion for Artemis 2 is a major step forward in our nation's efforts to develop a long-term lunar presence," Kirk Shireman, Lockheed Martin's vice president of Human Space Exploration, said in the statement. RELATED STORIES: — NASA continues stacking its giant Artemis 2 SLS moon rocket (photos) — 'We're pushing the limits:' Artemis 2 backup astronaut on 2025 round-the-moon mission (exclusive) — Astronauts won't walk on the moon until 2026 after NASA delays next 2 Artemis missions As its name suggests, Artemis 2 will be the second mission of the Artemis program, which aims to establish a permanent outpost on the moon as a springboard toward a crewed mission to Mars. Artemis 1 successfully sent an uncrewed Orion to lunar orbit and back in late 2022. NASA is currently targeting 2027 for the launch of Artemis 3, which will be the first mission to land astronauts on the moon since 1972. Artemis 2 and Artemis 3 had been expected to launch this year and next, respectively, but damage to Orion's heat shield during atmospheric entry at the end of Artemis 1 forced NASA to delay each by more than a year.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA's Artemis 2 moon rocket gets 2nd stage even as Trump tries to scrap Space Launch System (photos)
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The ICPS is lowered onto SLS's stage adapter inside the VAB, May 1, 2025. | Credit: NASA The Artemis 2 megarocket set to launch NASA's next astronauts to the moon in 2026 is almost completely assembled. The giant Space Launch System (SLS) rocket continues to grow inside the NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Technicians at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), in Florida, stacked the rocket's second stage onto the launch vehicle Thursday (May 1). The Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) is responsible for carrying the Orion spacecraft and crew the rest of the way into orbit around the Earth, and then sending them on their way to the moon. This SLS rocket will launch the Artemis 2 mission, with NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch as well as Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. The quartet are flying the second installment of NASA's Artemis program, which aims to establish a permanent presence on the moon as a technology springboard to one day send humans to Mars. The next mission, Artemis 3, would then deliver astronauts to the moon with the help of a Starship lander in 2027. That could be the last SLS rocket to fly, though. The Trump administration proposed canceling the SLS and Orion program after Artemis 3 in its 2026 budget proposal on Friday (May 2). Artemis 2 is scheduled to launch sometime in early 2026 — more than three years after the launch of Artemis 1, in November 2022. Artemis 1 sent an uncrewed Orion spacecraft into lunar orbit on a mission that lasted about 25 days. Orion and crew won't enter lunar orbit for Artemis 2, but they will fly around the moon. Rather than enter orbit, the ICPS will steer Orion and the Artemis 2 crew out of Earth orbit into a free-return trajectory around the moon. This slingshots the spacecraft around the lunar far-side on a course directly back to Earth. Unexpected damage to Orion's heat shield caused by atmospheric reentry during Artemis 1 is to blame for the long wait time between Artemis 1 and Artemis 2. That damage delayed Artemis 2 and Artemis 3 by more than a year each. Artemis 3 is currently targeted for 2027, and will carry the first astronauts to land on the moon since the Apollo missions. Image 1 of 2 a large section of a rocket is hoisted in a factory Image 2 of 2 a large section of a rocket is hoisted in a factory RELATED STORIES: — NASA begins stacking SLS rocket for Artemis 2 moon mission (photos) — 'We're pushing the limits:' Artemis 2 backup astronaut on 2025 round-the-moon mission (exclusive) — Astronauts won't walk on the moon until 2026 after NASA delays next 2 Artemis missions The ICPS arrived at the VAB last month. Now, NASA has shared photos of the ICPS being stacked inside the VAB on X, showcasing the stage as it was hoisted from the warehouse floor and lowered into the SLS stage adapter. NASA also took deliver of Orion and its service module this week from the spacecraft's main contractor Lockheed Martin. Before it heads to the VAB for incorporation with SLS, Orion will be transferred KSC's Exploration Ground Systems for processing.
