Lockheed Martin Completes Orion Development for Artemis II Mission to the Moon

THE BAJA POST
NEWSROOM
SOURCE: PR NEWSMEDIA

Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has completed assembly and testing of NASA’s Orion Artemis II spacecraft, transferring possession to NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) team today. 

This milestone is a significant step for NASA and the Artemis industry team, as they prepare to launch a crew of four astronauts to further the agency’s mission in establishing a human presence on the Moon for exploration and scientific discovery. It will also help build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

Orion is the most advanced, human-rated, deep space spacecraft ever developed. Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor to NASA for Orion and built the crew module, crew module adaptor and launch abort system.

«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. «The Orion spacecraft completion for Artemis II 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, while also traveling farther from Earth than ever before.»

Upgraded for Crew Onboard
The uncrewed EFT-1 and Artemis I test flights were the first steps in validating the spacecraft’s core systems. Artemis II will put Orion through its final tests in deep space with a crew on board and will include learnings and significant enhancements gleaned from the Artemis I mission.To support the health and safety of the crew, new systems have been added, which include life support – air, water, thermal control, waste management – displays and controls, audio communications, an exercise machine and a fully functional Launch Abort System. Additionally, the vehicle is outfitted with a subset of docking sensors and an experimental laser communication system, enabling high data-rate communications and paving the way for future missions.