NASA Releases Updates on Artemis II and Begins Operations for the Launch of Artemis III in 2027
As we recently reported, the Artemis program to bring humans back to the Moon will face several challenges before the beginning of 2028 (when a crewed Moon landing is expected). Among these challenges are the availability of the AxEMU space suits from Axiom Space and the construction of at least one of the two proposed lunar landers, either SpaceX's Starship HLS or Blue Origin's Blue Moon MK2. These landers will be tested in low Earth orbit (LEO) by mid-2027 during the Artemis III mission.
Reviewing the Artemis II mission
NASA has published a preliminary update after the completion of the Artemis II mission, which brought a crew close to the Moon since the end of the Apollo program in 1972. According to the space agency, once the Orion Integrity capsule completed a journey of 1.1 million km and re-entered Earth's atmosphere at Mach 35, no anomalies were observed with the thermal shield, one of the main concerns after Artemis I.
Despite having the same structure as the first mission of the program, the thermal shield made of AVCOAT experienced an unexpected detachment of material due to a change in the re-entry trajectory of the Orion capsule. What was not immediately shown after the splashdown were the underwater images collected by divers before the spacecraft was lifted aboard the support ship. The partial analyses are reassuring, and in the future, with a different construction, this problem will be further minimized. Shortly after the splashdown off the California coast, Jared Isaacman (NASA administrator) stated that some whitish spots on the thermal shield were not concerning.
The spacecraft will be thoroughly analyzed at the Kennedy Space Center, where some components, such as avionics, will be removed for reuse in future missions. Many other data will also be collected to understand its behavior, and refrigerant fluids and propellant will be eliminated for increased safety. During the summer, the thermal shield of Orion Integrity will be transferred to the Marshall Space Flight Center where some samples will be extracted and scanned using X-rays.
The ceramic tiles functioned as expected, and the reflective thermal tape, which should have burned up during re-entry, surprisingly remained intact in many areas, indicating that the heat reached in certain zones was below expectations (not posing a safety issue). The splashdown was also precise, with an impact point in the water only 4.7 km from the expected zone. The atmospheric entry speed was within 0.4 m/s of the predictions, thus confirming the validity of the models used.
One of the most interesting analyses will relate to the toilet, particularly the urine discharge system in space, which represented a critical issue throughout the mission, complicating life aboard for the four astronauts. Some corrective actions are planned for Artemis III.
Regarding the NASA SLS rocket (Space Launch System), its performance was optimal with a precise orbital insertion down to the millimeter. Ground structures also withstood the launch, sustaining minimal damage to the Mobile Launcher 1 (ML-1) platform, with modifications made after Artemis I appearing to have worked as expected. Currently, the ML-1 has been brought back into the VAB for repairs and to begin preparations for Artemis III.
Artemis III is taking shape, with a launch in 2027
While analyzing data from Artemis II, NASA is already working on the Artemis III mission. As mentioned, this mission is planned for 2027 and will serve to test one or two lunar landers in low Earth orbit (LEO). The core stage of the NASA SLS rocket for this new mission, which contains the liquid hydrogen tank, the liquid oxygen tank, the intertank, and the forward fairing, has left the Michoud Assembly Facility en route to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Here, the assembly of the various components will take place within the VAB.
Lori Glaze (interim associate administrator, Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate) stated, "Seeing the SLS rocket hardware is a powerful reminder of our progress toward returning humans to the lunar surface. This is the backbone of Artemis III. As it heads to Florida for final assembly, we are one step closer to testing the critical capabilities needed to land Americans on the Moon and ultimately paving the way for our first crewed missions to Mars."
During a press visit to the Michoud Assembly Facility, Glaze also added that in the coming weeks, NASA will announce how the upper stage of NASA SLS will be managed for Artemis III. In fact, since it is a LEO mission, the use of ICPS may not be necessary, and test hardware (without propellant) could be used for structural purposes.
When asked when the crew for Artemis III will be announced, the NASA administrator stated that astronauts will be selected based on the lunar lander or landers that will be available for the 2027 launch. This is because several astronauts are training to use either model, between Starship HLS and Blue Moon MK2.
If both models are available, one possible but unofficial scenario would be to launch two astronauts trained for Starship HLS and two dedicated to Blue Moon MK2. This would allow testing both solutions in space (LEO) within a single mission. However, the timing will be tight, and the lunar landers will need to be launched just a few days apart. A challenging task. Alternatively, only one model will be tested, limiting future alternatives (SpaceX remains the company awarded the contract for the first Moon landing).