A Major Component for the Space Launch System's Artemis 3 Vehicle Will Soon Head to Florida...

NASA / Brandon Hancock

NASA Rocket Hardware Prepped for Shipment to Space Coast (News Release)

With Artemis teammates and media watching, United Launch Alliance (ULA) crews guide the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for Artemis III to the loading dock at ULA’s facility in Decatur, Alabama, on July 31. ULA’s R/S RocketShip will transport the flight hardware to ULA’s sister facility in Florida near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, where it will undergo final checkouts.

The ICPS and its single RL10 engine provides in-space propulsion during Artemis III, firing to send astronauts inside NASA’s Orion spacecraft on a precise trajectory to the Moon. This ICPS for Artemis III is the last of its kind as SLS transitions to its next, more powerful Block 1B configuration with an upgraded upper stage beginning with Artemis IV.

“The ICPS is a key piece of hardware for NASA’s SLS rocket, and with this shipment, NASA is another step closer to returning astronauts to the lunar surface under Artemis,” said Chris Calfee, deputy manager for the SLS spacecraft and payload integration and evolution office. “Together, NASA, ULA and Boeing have produced a powerful and dynamic in-space propulsion stage that has laid the foundation for human exploration of deep space for decades to come.”

The ICPS is manufactured by ULA. Its RL10 engine is produced by Aerojet Rocketdyne, the SLS engines lead contractor, in West Palm Beach, Florida.

ULA is working with Boeing, the SLS core stage and exploration upper stage lead contractor, to develop ICPS.

NASA is working to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon under Artemis. SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration, along with the Orion spacecraft, advanced spacesuits and rovers, the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and commercial human landing systems.

SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts and supplies to the Moon in a single mission.

Source: NASA.Gov

****


NASA / Brandon Hancock

Training for Orion Recovery Operations Is Underway Off the Coast of Southern California...

NASA / Frank Michaux

NASA Invites Media to See Recovery Craft for Artemis Moon Mission (Press Release)

Media are invited to see the new test version of NASA’s Orion spacecraft and the hardware teams will use to recover the capsule and astronauts upon their return from space during the Artemis II mission.

The event will take place at 11 a.m. PDT on Wednesday, August 2, at Naval Base San Diego.

Personnel involved in recovery operations from NASA, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force will be available to speak with media.

U.S. media interested in attending must RSVP by 12 p.m., on Monday, July 31, to the Naval Base San Diego Public Affairs or 619-556-7359.

Teams are currently conducting the first in a series of tests in the Pacific Ocean to demonstrate and evaluate the processes, procedures and hardware for recovery operations for crewed Artemis missions. The tests will help prepare the team for Artemis II, NASA’s first crewed mission under Artemis that will send four astronauts in Orion around the Moon to checkout systems ahead of future lunar missions.

The Artemis II crew – NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen – will participate in recovery testing at sea next year.

****

The Latest South American Nation Has Joined the United States' Moon Exploration Initiative...

NASA

NASA Welcomes Argentina as Newest Artemis Accords Signatory (Press Release)

During a ceremony at the Casa Rosada in Buenos Aires on Thursday, July 27, Argentina became the 28th country to sign the Artemis Accords. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson participated in the signing ceremony for the agency, and Daniel Filmus, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, signed on behalf of Argentina.

Argentine President Alberto Fernández and Marc Stanley, the U.S. Ambassador to Argentina, were also in attendance.

The Artemis Accords establish a practical set of principles to guide space exploration cooperation among nations, including those participating in NASA’s Artemis program.

“As the United States and Argentina mark two centuries of diplomatic relations this year, we know our partnership over the next century will be deepened by discoveries made together in space,” said Administrator Bill Nelson. “Along with our fellow Artemis Accords signatories, the United States and Argentina are setting a standard for 21st century exploration and use of space. As we explore together, we will explore peacefully, safely and transparently.”

NASA, in coordination with the U.S. Department of State, established the Artemis Accords in 2020 - together with seven other founding member nations.

“We are convinced that the Artemis Accords constitute a contribution to the development of space activities with peaceful purposes at a global level and that they will increase international cooperation with Argentina,” said Filmus.

The Artemis Accords reinforce and implement key obligations in the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. They also reinforce the commitment by the United States and signatory nations to the Registration Convention, the Rescue and Return Agreement, as well as best practices and norms of responsible behavior that NASA and its partners have supported, including the public release of scientific data.

“It is very important we take this step as it is key that we move forward in the field of space development. We are convinced that it must be a state policy,” said Fernández. “We have done a lot to retain our scientists, we have always been interested in science and technology, we believe that this is the way to go.”

Additional countries will sign the Artemis Accords in the months and years ahead, as NASA continues to work with its international partners to establish a safe, peaceful and prosperous future in space. Working with both new and existing partners will add new energy and capabilities to ensure that the entire world can benefit from our journey of exploration and discovery.

****


NASA / Marie Reed

A Spacecraft That Will Test Nuclear Propulsion in Earth Orbit Has Received Its Contractor...

DARPA

DARPA Kicks Off Design, Fabrication for DRACO Experimental NTR Vehicle (Press Release)

Advances collaboration with NASA on nuclear thermal rocket; finalizes Phase 2 agreement

DARPA, in collaboration with NASA, is advancing towards the goal of the world’s first in-orbit demonstration of a nuclear thermal rocket (NTR) engine via DRACO, the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations. DARPA has finalized an agreement with Lockheed Martin for the company to begin work on the fabrication and design of the experimental NTR vehicle (X-NTRV) and its engine.

“The DRACO program aims to give the nation leap-ahead propulsion capability,” said Dr. Tabitha Dodson, program manager for the effort. “An NTR achieves high thrust similar to in-space chemical propulsion but is two-to-three-times more efficient. With a successful demonstration, we could significantly advance humanity’s means for going faster and farther in space and pave the way for the future deployment for all fission-based nuclear space technologies.”

In January, DARPA and NASA signed an agreement to collaborate on the NTR engine, with a focus on more efficiently and quickly transporting material through the cislunar domain and eventually, people to Mars.

The DRACO program takes advantage of the nation’s early investments in nuclear thermal technology via the previous Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Applications (NERVA) program, but with a new fuel option that presents fewer logistical hurdles. DARPA is using high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel, made possible via National Security Presidential Memorandum 20 (NSPM-20), which updated U.S. policy for the launch of space nuclear power and propulsion.

As an additional safety measure, DARPA will engineer the system so that the engine’s fission reactor will stay turned off until it reaches its designated orbit.

The U.S. Space Force will provide the launch vehicle that will take the X-NTRV into space in 2027. The Department of Energy will provide HALEU metal, to be processed into fuel by the performer.

BWX Technologies (BWXT), one of Lockheed Martin’s partners in the effort, will develop the nuclear reactor and fabricate the HALEU fuel.

Source: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

KSC Personnel Continue Preps for Orion's First Crewed Flight to the Moon...

NASA / Kim Shiflett

NASA Completes First Launch Simulation for Artemis II Moon Mission (News Release)

NASA’s Artemis launch team conducted its first simulation for Artemis II, the first crewed mission under Artemis, on July 20 inside the Launch Control Center at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

As NASA teams prepare to send the crew of four astronauts on a journey around the Moon and bring them back safely, they will participate in a wide range of simulations to ensure personnel supporting every aspect of the mission are just as ready and focused as they were for Artemis I.

Throughout the agency’s history, teams regularly have conducted simulations to practice multiple launch-day scenarios and stay fresh. While the “sims,” as the teams call them, help the launch team members, they also keep the software the launch team uses – the launch control system – updated.

Sims also inform the timing of operations and milestones within the countdown and allow the team to make adjustments that may be needed.

These simulations don’t appear out of thin air. A training team within the Exploration Ground Systems Program (EGS) is dedicated to throwing every curve ball, problem and unique scenario at the launch team.

“Each simulation is a little science fiction story, but it’s a story that helps the launch team, NASA and the country to be more successful in our real endeavors,” said John Apfelbaum, EGS simulation training lead at NASA Kennedy. “Yes, we get to be a little devious, and we try to put the launch team in situations they may not have thought of.”

Because the Artemis launch countdown is nearly two days long, launch simulations focus on two major parts: propellant loading and terminal countdown. Propellant loading refers to the portion in the launch countdown where teams fuel the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket with cryogenic, or super-cooled liquid gases.

After loading operations are complete, teams move to the final and one of the most dynamic portions in the countdown – terminal count, which is the last 10 minutes in the countdown, where preparations for liftoff are complete and all the rocket systems and Orion spacecraft come online, ready to take flight.

“Simulations are really key to the launch team preparations,” said Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, Artemis launch director. “Sometimes the problems the sim team puts us through are straightforward, some are complicated, some of them result in a continuation of the launch countdown, and some will result in a scrub decision. The idea behind simulations is to have a chance to practice as a team over and over again all the different things that can happen on launch day.”

While the Artemis II crew did not participate in this simulation, teams across NASA centers are preparing for when integrated simulations across multiple facilities and teams begin closer to launch.

Cryogenic Loading Simulations

This most recent simulation focused on loading liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen – the two main propellants that power SLS. Propellant loading begins roughly nine hours prior to liftoff to ensure teams can slowly and carefully load the -423° Fahrenheit super-cool liquid hydrogen and -297° Fahrenheit liquid oxygen.

During a cryogenic sim, common issues that the launch team has to troubleshoot include hydrogen leaks, erratic temperature sensors on engines, or even fires.

“Each training scenario must be based on physically-plausible failure of an actual component of the Artemis flight or ground systems,” said Apfelbaum. “The root cause, the downstream effects, as well as our contingency procedures are carefully considered when developing a particular training scenario.”

Terminal Count Simulations

Though terminal count refers to the final 10 minutes before launch, those final minutes signify some of the most intense and dynamic moments in the countdown because of all the critical milestones that must occur in a certain order prior to liftoff. For terminal count sims, the countdown typically starts at T-minus 1 hour and 40 minutes.

“Due to how important it is to get the vehicle into a safe configuration after a launch cut-off, most training simulations do not proceed all the way to launch,” Apfelbaum said. “A cut-off in the last few seconds of the count is one of the most critical situations for the launch team, and we give them every opportunity we can to practice critical safing steps.”

Throughout the course of their Artemis II training, the launch team will practice other types of simulations that include abort-event scenarios and various training events with the Artemis II crew, all with the safety of the four astronauts flying aboard the mission at the top of mind. They will also practice day-of-launch simulations that include combining both the cryogenic loading and terminal count sims into one integrated sim with supporting teams across the country.

The simulations are also helping prepare teams for future Artemis missions on NASA’s path to establishing a long-term presence at the Moon for science and exploration.

Source: NASA.Gov

Flight Hardware for the First SLS Block 1B Rocket Continues to Take Shape in Louisiana...

NASA / Michael DeMocker

Crews Complete SLS Liquid Oxygen Tank Forward Dome for Artemis IV (Photo Release - July 11)

Teams completed welding of the liquid oxygen dome for the core stage of a future SLS (Space Launch System) rocket at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.

The dome, which will cap off the forward end of the liquid oxygen tank, was lifted off of the robotic weld tool and moved to an assembly area for the next phase of production. Later, crews will add the forward dome to join the two barrels and the aft dome to complete the liquid oxygen tank.

The flight hardware will be used for Artemis IV, the first flight of SLS in its Block 1B configuration.

The SLS core stage liquid oxygen tank holds 196,000 gallons of super-cooled liquid propellant. The SLS core stage is made up of five unique elements: the forward skirt, liquid oxygen tank, intertank, liquid hydrogen tank and the engine section.

The liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen tanks will provide propellant to the four RS-25 engines to produce more than two million pounds of thrust to help launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts and supplies beyond Earth’s orbit to the Moon.

Source: NASA.Gov

****


NASA / Michael DeMocker

At KSC, Work Continues on a Major Flight Component for the Third SLS Rocket...

NASA / Ben Smegelsky

Artemis III Engine Section Photo Op (Photo Release - June 15)

The engine section for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for the Artemis III mission is being processed inside the high bay of the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 15. NASA and Boeing, the SLS core stage lead contractor, are installing tubing within the structure.

The engine section is one of five major elements that makes up the SLS rocket’s 212-foot-tall core stage. It houses the rocket’s four RS-25 engines and vital systems for mounting, controlling and delivering fuel from the stage’s two massive liquid propellant tanks to the engines.

The engine section is one the most complex and intricate parts of the rocket stage that will help to power the Artemis missions to the Moon. NASA’s Pegasus barge delivered the SLS engine section for Artemis III from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans in December 2022.

Beginning with Artemis III, technicians at the spaceport will finish outfitting the engine section before integrating it with the rest of the rocket stage. In tandem, teams at Michoud will continue to manufacture the major core stage structures.

NASA’s mega-Moon rocket, the Space Launch System, will use its powerful capability to launch Orion’s crew to space. Under Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, establish long-term lunar science and exploration capabilities, and inspire the next generation of explorers – the Artemis Generation.

Source: NASA.Gov

Photos of the Day: The Next Launch of Starship Looms on the Horizon...

SpaceX

In time for the 54th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, SpaceX shared these official photos of Starship Super Heavy's Booster 9 being returned to the Orbital Launch Mount (OLM) yesterday for testing and eventual flight.

With Starship 25 already at the launch site, SpaceX moved ever so closer to another launch attempt for its mega-Moon rocket...with repairs and modifications complete on the OLM itself (see the tweet at the very bottom of this entry).

However, the environmental impact caused by the Starship Flight Test last April continues to be assessed by the Federal Aviation Administration—which itself is facing legal action by environmental groups who claim the U.S. government agency didn't conduct enough analysis of the impact that Super Heavy would cause to sensitive lands surrounding Starbase at Boca Chica Beach in Texas.

Despite the drama unfolding with the FAA, SpaceX continues to press ahead with launch preps for Starship 25 and Booster 9. Stay tuned!


SpaceX


SpaceX


SpaceX


SpaceX


SpaceX

WOW! OLM Water Deluge System conducts its first full test! That was super impressive. No more rock tornados, I'd say!https://t.co/e3xbqPnwZ5 pic.twitter.com/jgviOwUX3U

— Chris Bergin - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) July 17, 2023

A Life-Support System Aboard the ISS Has Paved the Way for Future Crewed Exploration of Deep Space...

NASA

NASA Achieves Water Recovery Milestone on International Space Station (News Release)

For space missions that venture beyond low-Earth orbit, new challenges include how to provide basic needs for crew members without resupply missions from the ground. NASA is developing life-support systems that can regenerate or recycle consumables such as food, air and water, and is testing them on the International Space Station.

Ideally, life-support systems need to recover close to 98% of the water that crews bring along at the start of a long journey. The space station’s Environmental Control and Life-Support System (ECLSS) recently demonstrated that it can achieve that significant goal.

ECLSS is a combination of hardware that includes a Water Recovery System. This system collects wastewater and sends it to the Water Processor Assembly (WPA), which produces drinkable water.

One specialized component uses advanced dehumidifiers to capture moisture released into the cabin air from crew breath and sweat.

Another subsystem, the Urine Processor Assembly (UPA), recovers water from urine using vacuum distillation. A previous technology demonstration on the space station tested improvements to the UPA’s Distillation Assembly.

Distillation produces water and a urine brine that still contains some reclaimable water. A Brine Processor Assembly (BPA) developed to extract this remaining wastewater has been on the space station as a demonstration of its operation in microgravity.

Recent assessments found that the BPA helped the system achieve the 98% water-recovery goal.

“This is a very important step forward in the evolution of life-support systems,” says Christopher Brown, part of the team at Johnson Space Center that manages the space station’s life-support system. “Let’s say you collect 100 pounds of water on the station. You lose two pounds of that and the other 98% just keeps going around and around. Keeping that running is a pretty awesome achievement.”

“Before the BPA, our total water recovery was between 93 and 94% overall,” says Jill Williamson, ECLSS water subsystems manager. “We have now demonstrated that we can reach total water recovery of 98%, thanks to the brine processor.”

The BPA takes the brine produced by the UPA and runs it through a special membrane technology, then blows warm, dry air over the brine to evaporate the water. That process creates humid air, which, just like crew breath and perspiration, is collected by the station’s water-collection systems.

All the collected water is treated by the WPA. It first uses a series of specialized filters, then a catalytic reactor that breaks down any trace contaminants that remain.

Sensors check the water purity and unacceptable water is reprocessed. The system also adds iodine to the acceptable water to prevent microbial growth and stores it, ready for the crew to use.

Each crew member needs about a gallon of water per day for consumption, food preparation and hygiene such as brushing teeth.

The team acknowledges that the idea of drinking recycled urine might make some people squeamish. But they stress that the end result is far superior to what municipal water systems produce on the ground.

“The processing is fundamentally similar to some terrestrial water distribution systems, just done in microgravity,” Williamson says. “The crew is not drinking urine; they are drinking water that has been reclaimed, filtered and cleaned such that it is cleaner than what we drink here on Earth. We have a lot of processes in place and a lot of ground testing to provide confidence that we are producing clean, potable water.”

The systems in ECLSS have been carefully tested, not only to ensure that they perform as intended, but also to demonstrate that each is reliable and can operate long-term without a lot of maintenance or spare parts.

“The regenerative ECLSS systems become ever more important as we go beyond low-Earth orbit,” Williamson says. “The inability of resupply during exploration means we need to be able to reclaim all the resources the crew needs on these missions. The less water and oxygen we have to ship up, the more science that can be added to the launch vehicle. Reliable, robust regenerative systems mean the crew doesn’t have to worry about it and can focus on the true intent of their mission.”

Source: NASA.Gov

****

Construction Continues on the Next Three Capsules That Will Ferry Astronauts to the Moon...

NASA / Marie Reed

Three Cheers for NASA Orion Crew Modules for Future Artemis Missions (News Release)

The Orion spacecraft for NASA’s crewed Artemis II (right), Artemis III (left) and Artemis IV (center) missions are stationed next to each other inside the high bay of the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 22, 2023. Each capsule is in a different stage of production as technicians and engineers prepare the spacecraft to carry astronauts to and around the Moon on their upcoming flights.

Technicians recently installed the heat shield on the Artemis II crew module, and teams are preparing to conduct acoustic testing later this summer. Once complete, the crew module will be joined with its service module in preparation to fly four astronauts around the Moon.

The Artemis III crew module, which will carry the next astronauts to step foot on the lunar surface from Earth to their Human Landing System and return them home, was removed from the clean room inside the high bay to complete a series of pressure and leak tests. The Artemis IV crew module arrived at the spaceport in February and is in the early stages of the assembly process.

Source: NASA.Gov

Development Continues on America's First Lunar Space Station...

NASA

NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne Put Gateway Thruster System to the Test (News Release)

Engineers from NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne are beginning qualification testing on the cutting-edge solar electric propulsion (SEP) thrusters that will change the in-space propulsion game. The culmination of this work will see these innovative thrusters fly on Gateway beginning in 2025, making it the most powerful SEP spacecraft ever flown.

Gateway is a lunar space station that will serve as an important part of NASA’s Artemis program, which will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon.

Led by NASA’s Technology Demonstration Missions program, the Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS), built by Aerojet Rocketdyne, provides 12 kilowatts of propulsive power – over two times more powerful than current state-of-the-art in-space electric propulsion systems. These innovative systems tout extremely high-fuel economy at lower thrust, providing mission flexibility and capabilities not achievable using traditional chemical propulsion systems.

Three AEPS thrusters will be used on the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) to maneuver Gateway during its planned minimum 15-year mission.

“AEPS is truly a next-generation technology,” said Clayton Kachele, the AEPS project manager at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. “Current electric propulsion systems use around four and a half kilowatts of power, whereas here we’re significantly increasing power in a single thruster. That capability opens a world of opportunity for future space exploration, and AEPS will get us there farther and faster.”

The AEPS must undergo qualification testing before being certified to fly on Gateway. The combined NASA-Aerojet team will use two qualification units – models nearly identical to the thrusters that will fly on PPE – during these tests.

In early July, engineers from NASA Glenn, the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Aerojet Rocketdyne began a yearlong series of tests at multiple locations to ensure the AEPS operates properly and meets requirements. The engineers will first perform acceptance testing on one of these model thrusters to make sure it was built correctly, then subject it to extreme vibration, shock and thermal conditions, similar to what it will experience during launch and flight operations.

The team will also hot fire the unit before and after these tests, operating it at varying power levels to simulate flight conditions and collect performance data.

“This testing campaign is a big deal,” said Rohit Shastry, the lead AEPS engineer. “It’s kind of the final leg before we test the thrusters that will actually fly on Gateway.”

A second qualification unit will arrive at NASA in 2024 to undergo a wear test that mimics the anticipated conditions the AEPS will experience during Gateway’s initial orbit raising and transition to lunar orbit. NASA expects the thrusters to operate for 23,000 hours total during a nearly four-year test campaign inside NASA Glenn’s massive vacuum chambers.

To ensure Gateway is ready for launch and its transit to the Moon, the PPE’s actual flight thrusters are being built now and will launch to space before the entire multi-year wear test is complete.

“With NASA missions, launch dates are critical,” Kachele said. “In this case, NASA is trying to expedite the process, and we’re doing it intelligently. We will complete a few thousand hours of wear testing to prove successful operations before PPE launches. We’ll then complete the final 15,000 hours or so to fully qualify AEPS for future customers, including those at NASA and other government agencies and commercial partners.”

High-power electric propulsion is critical for future crewed transportation systems that will be key in helping NASA explore more of deep space beyond the Moon, the engineers say.

“I think it’ll be exciting to see what kind of missions this technology ends up enabling,” Shastry said. “We are pushing the boundaries of what’s been done and taking giant leaps forward with capability and opportunities.”

NASA’s high-power solar electric propulsion development work is managed by NASA Glenn under the direction of the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate.

Source: NASA.Gov

****


NASA / Maxar Technologies

A New 'Astrovan' Is Unveiled for America's Next Manned Moon Missions...

NASA / Isaac Watson

New Fleet of Vehicles for NASA’s Artemis Crews Arrives at Kennedy (News Release)

NASA has received the fleet of vehicles that will take Artemis crews on the final Earth-bound leg of their journey to the Moon before boarding their rocket and spacecraft.

Teams from manufacturer Canoo Technologies Inc. of Torrance, California, delivered three specially-designed, fully-electric, environmentally-friendly crew transportation vehicles to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, July 11. The zero-emission vehicles can carry four astronauts in their Orion crew survival system spacesuits, support personnel including a spacesuit technician, and provides room for specialized equipment for the drive to Launch Pad 39B ahead of Artemis missions to the Moon.

The new vehicles are customized to accommodate NASA’s unique specifications for Artemis missions while also paying homage to the legacy of the agency’s human spaceflight and space exploration efforts. Many aspects of the design, from the interior and exterior markings to the color of the vehicles to the wheel wells, were chosen by a creative team that included the Artemis launch director and representatives from NASA’s Astronaut Office based at Johnson Space Center in Houston.

They provided insight from the conceptual phase throughout production. Canoo was awarded a contract in April 2022 to manufacture the vehicles.

“The collaboration between Canoo and our NASA representatives focused on the crews’ safety and comfort on the way to the pad ahead of their journey to the Moon,” said Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, NASA’s Artemis launch director. “I have no doubt everyone who sees these new vehicles will feel the same sense of pride I have for this next endeavor of crewed Artemis missions.”

Historically, during launch operations at Kennedy for NASA’s Apollo and Space Shuttle Programs, the earlier Astrovans were the primary means of transporting crews from the astronauts’ crew quarters in the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building to the launch pad. While the path to the pad may look similar, the ride to get there has changed with the times.

Ahead of Artemis II, the first crewed mission under Artemis that will send four astronauts around the Moon and bring them home, the fleet will be used for astronaut training exercises at the spaceport. The approximately 10-day flight will test NASA's foundational human deep-space exploration capabilities, the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, for the first time with astronauts and will pave the way for lunar surface missions, including landing the first woman and first person of color on the Moon.

Source: NASA.Gov

The Latest Update on Future Spacesuits for the Artemis and ISS Programs...

Axiom Space

NASA Expands Options for Spacewalking, Moonwalking Suits, Services (Press Release)

NASA has awarded Axiom Space and Collins Aerospace task orders under existing contracts to advance spacewalking capabilities in low-Earth orbit, as well as moonwalking services for Artemis missions.

The latest Exploration Extravehicular Activity Services task orders, each with a value of $5 million, are intended to have Axiom Space begin work on a spacesuit for use in low-Earth orbit, and Collins Aerospace to begin work on a spacesuit for use on the lunar surface. Encouraging innovation in the suits and services available from both companies helps NASA further its missions for the benefit of humanity as part of its Moon to Mars exploration approach and obtain potential options should any development issues arise.

“These task orders position NASA for success should additional capabilities become necessary or advantageous to NASA’s missions as the agency paves the way for deep-space exploration and commercialization of low-Earth orbit,” said Lara Kearney, manager of the Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility Program at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “Using this competitive approach we will enhance redundancy, expand future capabilities, and further invest in the space economy.”

Each contract provider has proposed a plan to continue developing their spacesuit to perform in an environment different from that outlined in the scope of their initial task order award. Axiom Space was previously awarded an initial task order to develop a spacewalking system for a demonstration in partial gravity on the lunar surface during Artemis III and will now begin early assessments for extending that suit for use outside the International Space Station.

Likewise, Collins Aerospace was previously awarded an initial task order to develop a spacewalking system for a demonstration in microgravity outside the space station and will now begin early assessments for extending that suit for use on the lunar surface.

Both vendors’ assessments will provide NASA insight and redundancy for use of their suit systems despite the differences between low-Earth orbit and the lunar surface, including different gravitational fields, natural space environments such as radiation, and mission tasks like floating in microgravity or walking in partial gravity.

The providers will begin their design modification work through an initial milestone set by the awardee in their respective proposals for the task order’s initial content. Following the completion of this initial step, NASA may exercise task order options to continue development.

Should NASA decide to pursue the full extent of the follow-on task order options with a given provider culminating in a flight demonstration, the provider must complete all necessary safety and performance verifications before flight and ultimately complete a spacewalk or moonwalk at the respective destination.

The contract enables selected providers to compete for task orders for missions that will provide a full suite of capabilities for NASA’s spacewalking needs during the period of performance through 2034. The first task orders awarded were for the development and services for the first demonstration outside the space station in low-Earth orbit and for the Artemis III lunar landing.

The contract was designed to evolve with the needs of the agency and space industry and gives NASA a mechanism for adding additional capabilities and vendors as the commercial space services market evolves.

NASA’s investments in these additional capabilities will help bolster a strong commercial space industry. Each provider on the Exploration Extravehicular Activity Services contract will own the spacesuits it develops under the contract and can pursue other commercial customers and explore non-NASA commercial applications for the associated technologies.

Expanding the commercial space services market is an important element of NASA’s long-term goals of exploration in low-Earth orbit and in deep space, including the Moon and Mars.

****


NASA

Work Continues on the Capsule for NASA's Next Crewed Lunar Landing Mission...

NASA / Cory Huston

Artemis III Orion Crew Module (Photo Release - June 23)

The Orion spacecraft for the Artemis III mission is in view in the high bay of the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 22, 2023.

The Orion spacecraft is being prepared for its launch atop the Space Launch System rocket on Artemis III, which will send astronauts, including the first woman and first person of color, on a mission to the surface of the Moon.

Source: NASA.Gov

****


NASA / Cory Huston


NASA / Cory Huston