Before humans return to the Moon, a spacecraft will conduct a flight test around the natural satellite, setting the stage for humanity’s proposed long-term arrival. The Orion spacecraft, which will venture around the Moon as part of the Artemis mission, is now fully stacked on the Space Launch System (SLS) that will blast off to the lunar body in February 2022.

With the stacking of the spacecraft aboard the rocket completed, Nasa will begin a series of integrated tests ahead of the deep-space lift off. The tests will evaluate the rocket and spacecraft as an integrated system for the first time, building upon each other and culminating in a simulation at the pad to prepare for launch day.

“It’s hard to put into words what this milestone means, not only to us here at Exploration Ground Systems but to all the incredibly talented people who have worked so hard to help us get to this point. Our team has demonstrated tremendous dedication in preparing for the launch of Artemis I,” Mike Bolger, Exploration Ground Systems program manager said following the completion of the stacking.

Nasa said that the Artemis I will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate the commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond prior to the first flight with crew on Artemis II.

WHAT IS ORION SPACECRAFT?

The Orion spacecraft has been developed as a vehicle to carry astronauts and cargo for deep space missions beginning to the Moon. It will serve as the exploration vehicle that will carry the crew to space, provide emergency abort capability, sustain astronauts during their missions and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities.

Named after one of the largest constellations in the night sky, the spacecraft will be at the forefront of a series of increasingly challenging missions. During the February 2022 launch, an uncrewed Orion will venture thousands of miles beyond the Moon over the course of about three weeks, paving the way for flights with astronauts.

The spacecraft at its full capacity can carry four astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit, providing a safe habitat from launch through landing and recovery. The service module in the spacecraft will provide in-space propulsion capability for orbital transfer, attitude control, and high altitude ascent aborts. According to Orion’s factsheet, “While mated with the crew module, it also provides water, oxygen and nitrogen to support the crew module living environment, generates and stores power while in space, and provides primary thermal control. The service module also has the capability to accommodate unpressurized cargo.”

WHAT IS ARTEMIS MISSION?

The Artemis mission is one of the biggest human space exploration undertaken, led by the US. Under the mission, Nasa will return to the lunar surface, land the first woman and first person of colour on the Moon. The agency plans to build a base camp on the lunar surface and a flying outpost in its orbit allowing robots and astronauts “to explore more and conduct more science than ever before.”

Nasa plans to send a crew to the Moon about once per year starting from 2024. The Artemis Base Camp concept includes a modern lunar cabin, a rover and even a mobile home. The agency is planning to explore the lunar South Pole for its base camps. The agency had in 2020 said that the crew will return to the lunar surface for the first time this century beginning with the Artemis III mission. From lunar orbit, two astronauts will take the first new ride to the surface of the Moon, landing where no humans have ever been: the lunar South Pole.

“This is the ideal location for a future base camp given its potential access to ice and other mineral resources,” the agency says.