NASA has ordered three Orion spacecraft from Lockheed Martin for its Artemis VI-VIII missions, the US space agency reports. The order is worth nearly $2 billion.
These are exploration craft to transport astronauts in space and around the moon in support of the Artemis lunar program. The first part of that program, Artemis I, is only weeks away from a launch to the moon.
Lockheed Martin is NASA’s primary supplier to the Orion program. In 2019, NASA paid $2.7 billion for the spacecraft for the Artemis III to V missions.
Back to the moon
The United States wants to take humans to the moon and back in a few years’ time, for the first time since 1972. The most powerful rocket ever built, the Space Launch System (SLS), was built for that purpose. At the very top of that launcher is the new craft that has to go to the moon and back: the Orion. As a dress rehearsal, a spacecraft without people on board has to make the difficult crossing. That trip there and back takes about a month and a half.
After three delays, the still unmanned mission Artemis I may start a test flight to the moon next month. The launch of the new spacecraft is tentatively scheduled for November 14, according to NASA.
The first time, at the end of August, it failed to get one of the four rocket motors to the right temperature. Leading up to the second attempt, last month, NASA discovered a leak when the fuel tank was filled with liquid hydrogen. It turned out not to be possible to solve the problem in time.
The third time, late last month, the launch was canceled due to severe Hurricane Ian. To shelter from the hurricane, the launch vehicle was transferred to a hangar at the Kennedy Space Center, the historic space base near Cape Canaveral.
Final rehearsal
After launch from Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, the spacecraft is planned to orbit the Earth for approximately one and a half hours, then accelerate and begin its moon crossing. Five to six weeks later, he should return to Earth with a splash in the Pacific Ocean.
By 2024, four astronauts should fly around the moon and back, with mission Artemis II. At the earliest in 2025, with the mission Artemis III, humans should set foot on the moon again.
On the flights to the moon and back, the astronauts sit in the front, in an American section. The rear part, which provides energy and propulsion, was developed by Europe. The solar panels that generate electricity come from Leiden.
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