NASA: Orion Successfully Completes Lunar Flyby
NASA finally got its first Space Launch System (SLS) rocket off the ground last week, beginning the Artemis Program in earnest. Artemis 1 is an uncrewed shakedown flight for the Orion spacecraft, which has just reappeared after successfully orbiting the moon. It’s not heading back to Earth quite yet — Orion will get into a stable lunar orbit to perform some system tests first.
The SLS moon rocket has been in development for over a decade at a cost of more than $23 billion. NASA tried to launch the super heavy-lift vehicle several times throughout 2022, but a series of mechanical and weather mishaps delayed it. Artemis 1 finally launched last week, sending Orion to the moon for the first time.
The spacecraft spent the last several days coasting toward Earth’s satellite. As expected, it lost contact with Earth while on the far side of the moon. NASA reports that Orion reestablished communication with the Deep Space Network (DSN) at 7:59 AM EST Monday, Nov. 21. Just before reacquisition, Orion successfully fired its orbital maneuvering system engine for two and a half minutes to complete the first phase of its orbital insertion. This accelerated the spacecraft by more than 580 miles per hour to 5,102 mph.
Orion has another engine burn coming up soon. On Friday (Nov. 25), Orion will execute another maneuver that will bring it into the planned distant retrograde orbit around the moon. Over the following week (give or take a few days), NASA will run tests on Orion to ensure it’s working as intended. When it’s time to come home, the vessel will perform another series of engine burns to execute another close flyby of the moon as it loops back toward Earth.
— Jim Free (@JimFree) November 21, 2022
None of this would be possible without the Deep Space Network (DSN), which is responsible for spacecraft communication beyond low-Earth orbit. The DSN’s ground stations are located in California, Spain, and Australia — approximately 120 degrees apart to ensure that one station is always able to communicate with missions as the planet rotates. Orion initially re-established contact with the station in Madrid, Spain when it emerged from behind the moon, and then switched to the California station when Spain slipped over the horizon.
Artemis 1 is a fully automated mission, but all future SLS launches are slated to have a crew. Artemis 2 will consist of a crewed lunar flyby operation, and Artemis 3 will include the first human landing on the moon in decades. NASA also plans to use Artemis launches to deploy the Gateway Station in lunar orbit to ensure a permanent human presence around the moon.
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