A New Era of Space Exploration Dawns with Artemis I Liftoff

November 16, 2022

*At sunrise, the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Artemis I stand at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Photo credit: SpaceAgeChronicle.com/Bob Granath*

By Bob Granath

The ground shook for miles around as NASA’s new mega-rocket, the most powerful in the world, roared to life for the first time, beginning a new era in space exploration. Liftoff of the 32-story-tall Space Launch System, or SLS, is sending a human-rated spacecraft to the Moon for the first time in 50 years. The Orion capsule now is streaking across trans-lunar space on a mission that will take it well beyond the Moon, paving the way for landing the first woman and the first person of color on the lunar surface.

At 1:47 a.m. EST on Nov. 16, 2022, the Space Launch System rocket lifts off generating 8.8 million pounds of thrust from the Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B. Photo credit: SpaceAgeChronicle.com/Bob Granath

At 1:47 a.m. EST on Nov. 16, 2022, the SLS core stage’s four engines and twin solid rocket boosters generated 8.8 million pounds of thrust as it rose in the sky from Launch Complex 39B at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center. At the same time, cheers were almost as loud from the hundreds of thousands of on-site guests and visitors to surrounding communities. The uncrewed Artemis I flight marks the 50th launch during 2022 from America’s premier multi-user spaceport.

As the countdown reached the final phase, NASA Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson spoke of the historic significance of the event as she gave the final approval for liftoff.

“On behalf of all the men and women across our great nation who worked to bring this hardware together to make this day possible, and for the Artemis generation, this is for you,” she said. “At this time I give you a ‘go’ to launch Artemis.”

Overcoming Challenges

A launch attempt on Aug. 29 was postponed when a testing of one of four a core stage engines did not give the proper temperature range. On Sept. 3, engineers could not overcome a hydrogen leak in a quick disconnect, an interface between the liquid hydrogen fuel feed line and the Space Launch System rocket. Following the stand down, technicians replaced two seals – one surrounding an 8-inch line used to fill and drain liquid hydrogen from the core stage, and another surrounding the 4-inch bleed line used to redirect some of the propellant during tanking operations.

Weeks of testing at the Kennedy /Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B paid off with a flawless liftoff of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. Photo credit: SpaceAgeChronicle.com/Bob Granath — Weeks of testing at the Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B paid off with a flawless liftoff of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. Photo credit: SpaceAgeChronicle.com/Bob Granath

When Hurricane Ian threatened Central Florida, NASA managers decided to return the Space Launch System and Orion back to the safety of the Vehicle Assembly Building on Sept. 26. NASA and contractor teams reset the system’s batteries and the rocket and spacecraft returned to Launch Complex 39B on Nov. 4.

In the meantime, Hurricane Nicole made landfall more than 70 miles south of the launch pad on Nov. 9 and 10. Inspections augmented with remote monitoring and high-resolution cameras was performed during the storm. After Nicole passed, teams determined that the vehicle did not sustain any significant damage clearing the way for launch.

During Artemis I, the Orion spacecraft will travel 280,000 miles from Earth, and 40,000 miles beyond the Moon over the course of about a three-week mission. The capsule will remain in space longer than any vehicle designed for astronauts without docking to a space station and travel farther from Earth than any previous human-rated spacecraft.

*The most recent person to walk on the Moon, Apollo 17 commander Gene Cernan, salutes the flag during the final Apollo lunar landing mission in December 1972. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Schmitt*

During a prelaunch news conference, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson noted that the last time astronauts launched to the Moon was a half-century ago when the Apollo 17 crew explored the Taurus–Littrow lunar valley in December 1972.

“For all of us that gaze up at the Moon, dreaming of the day humankind will return to the lunar surface, we are here,” he said. “We are going back and that journey begins with Artemis I.”

‘Proud and Powerful’

*Inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Lockheed Martin technicians and engineers prepare the Orion spacecraft for Artemis I. Photo credit: NASA*

NASA’s Associate Administrator of Exploration Systems Development, Jim Free, spoke of the challenges overcome during the past few years. In addition to Covid-19, during February 2017, a tornado slammed NASA’s Michould Assembly Facility in New Orleans where hardware for both the SLS and Orion were being manufactured.

“The path to Artemis I has continued through historic events, including the global pandemic and devastating storms that broke records in both number and magnitude,” he said. “The launch of Artemis I marks a proud and powerful moment in NASA’s and the nation’s history. This flight test is the result of an unparalleled workforce, tireless engineering, advances in modern fabrication and computing, strong industry and international partnerships and vital support from Congress and multiple administrations.”

NASA Chief Test Director Jeremy Graeber, left, and Artemis 1 Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, monitor validation testing inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on July 11, 2019. The launch team includes personnel with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems and Test and Operations Contractor Jacobs. — Artemis 1 Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, left, and *NASA Chief Test Director Jeremy Graeber,* monitor testing inside Firing Room 1 in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on July 11, 2019. The launch team includes personnel with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems and Test and Operations Contractor Jacobs. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Named for Artemis, the twin sister of Apollo, the program is an effort requiring an extensive team. After years of development and testing, Artemis I is the first integrated test of NASA’s deep space exploration systems including the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket and ground systems at Kennedy. That ongoing effort included numerous trials and simulations to prepare the Florida spaceport’s launch team for the historic event.

“This is a very exciting time,” said Blackwell-Thompson. “This is our first (SLS) launch and it’s been a great learning experience for our team as we’ve gone through months of extensive testing.”

After liftoff, Orion orbited the Earth and deployed its solar arrays. The vehicle’s upper stage, the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage, or ICPS, then gave Orion a boost to leave Earth’s orbit for the trip to the Moon. Following the ICPS engine firing, about two hours after launch, Orion separated from the upper stage.

Artemis Team

“We’re going together with our commercial and international partners,” Nelson said, noting the extensive collective effort.

*NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky*

Designed for a crew of two to six astronauts, the Orion spacecraft was built by Lockheed Martin Space in the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy. The European Space Agency provided the spacraft’s service module that was developed by Airbus Defense and Space in Bremen, Germany. It supports Orion with power and its main propulsion system. Orion will demonstrate its unique design navigating, communicating and operating in the deep space environment well beyond low Earth orbit.

Prime Contractor for the SLS Core Stage is Boeing. At 212 feet long and 27.6 feet in diameter, it uses 733,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellant. At its base are four RS-25 engines from Aerojet Rocketdyne.

NASA's 322-foot-tall Space Launch System rocket rolls out of the Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building on March 17, 2022 for a countdown "dress rehearsal" for the Artemis 1 mission. — NASA’s 322-foot-tall Space Launch System rocket rolls out of the Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building on March 17, 2022 for a countdown “dress rehearsal” for the Artemis 1 mission. Photo credit: SpaceAgeChronicle.com/Bob Granath

Northrop Grumman produced the twin solid rocket boosters, or SRBs. Each solid rocket motor has five propellant segments compared to four for the Space Shuttle. The SRBs each generate 3.6 million pounds of thrust and each burned out and separated two minutes and six seconds after liftoff.

The ICPS not only provided the final push to orbit, called a perigee raise burn, it gave Orion the boost needed for trans-lunar injection, leaving Earth for the Moon. The ICPS prime contractors are Boeing and United Launch Alliance.

Bringing all the Artemis elements together in processing facilities at Kennedy are employees of Jacobs, NASA’s Test and Operations Contractor. Their team includes the technicians and engineers who stack the vehicle elements in the Vehicle Assembly Building, to operating the launch pad to staffing consoles in the Launch Control Center firing room.

Free explained that the number of sub-contractors and suppliers supporting the Artemis Program is extensive.

“Overall, about 3,000 companies have participated and that number includes 700 small business playing a role,” he said.

Goals for Artemis I

*This illustration shows Orion as it is boosted the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage from Earth orbit for its trajectory to the Moon. Photo credit: NASA*

The primary objectives for Artemis I is to confirm that the SLS and Orion perform as designed, checking out their capabilities, reaching Earth orbit, circling the Moon and returning safely to Earth. The mission will demonstrate that NASA is ready for future crewed flights to the lunar orbit and landing on the surface.

The trip will take up to six weeks, allowing engineers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to evaluate the spacecraft’s systems and, as needed, adjust its trajectory. After Orion flies about 62 miles above the lunar surface, it will use the Moon’s gravitation to propel the spacecraft into a new deep retrograde, or opposite, orbit for about six days, collecting data and allowing mission controllers to assess its performance.

After the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage engine fires to put Orion on course for the Moon, Orion will use a combination of propulsion from the service module and a flyby of the Moon for a gravity assist to push toward distant retrograde orbit, or DRO. To exit DRO, Orion will again rely on a combination of propulsive burns and a return flyby to bring Orion back to Earth. Photo credit: NASA

During the mission, Orion will give engineers an opportunity to evaluate the spacecraft’s capabilities in a DRO — Distant Retrograde Orbit. DRO provides a highly stable orbit, requiring little propellant to remain for extended periods in deep space well beyond Earth.

“Artemis I is a true stress test of the Orion spacecraft in the deep space environment,” said Mike Sarafin, NASA’s Artemis mission manager. “Without crew aboard the first mission, DRO allows Orion to spend more time in deep space for a rigorous mission to ensure spacecraft systems, like guidance, navigation, communication, power, thermal control and others are ready to keep astronauts safe on future crewed missions.”

Commander Moonkin Campos

While there is not a crew aboard Orion, a mannequin will be in the commander’s seat wearing an Orion spacesuit and fitted with sensors to transmit data on what astronauts will experience during future Artemis missions. Mannequin serve as human stand-ins for emergency rescues and developing equipment for extreme environments. For Artemis I, the mannequin, dubbed “Commander Moonikin Campos,” will be equipped to measure radiation and other dynamic experiences.

Commander Moonikin Campos, a space suited manikin, occupies a seat inside the Artemis I Orion crew module to provide data on what crewmembers may experience in flight. — Commander Moonikin Campos, a space suited mannequin, occupies a seat inside the Artemis I Orion crew module to provide data on what crew members may experience in flight. Photo credit: NASA/Frank Michaux

The Moonikin name was selected following a competition garnering more than 300,000 votes. The name Campos is a dedication to Arturo Campos, the electrical power subsystem manager for the Apollo 13 lunar module. He was a key player in bringing that mission’s crew safely back to Earth.

Future exploration missions with astronauts will assemble and dock with Gateway, a crucial component of NASA’s Artemis Program. The Gateway will serve as an outpost, a small space station, orbiting the Moon, providing vital support for a sustainable, long-term human return to the lunar surface, as well as a staging point for deep space exploration.

‘Faster and Hotter’

*This illustration depicts Orion after it fired its service module engine to leave lunar orbit for the return trip to Earth. Photo credit: NASA*

Using a precisely timed firing of the service module’s engine in conjunction with the Moon’s gravity, Orion will accelerate back to Earth. As it enters the atmosphere, the spacecraft will achieve another primary goals of the Artemis I flight test — demonstrate the Orion heat shield at lunar return re-entry conditions and recovery of the spacecraft after splashdown.

“Orion will come home faster and hotter than any spacecraft has before,” Nelson said. “It’s coming back at Mach 32 . . . that’s 32 times the speed of sound.”

As Orion returns from the Moon, it is equipped with the most advanced heatshield designed to withstand up to temperatures up to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit as it enters Earth’s atmosphere at Mach 32 — nearly 25,000 mph, much faster and hotter than a return from low-Earth orbit.

Following Artemis I, the spacecraft will be recovered in the same way an earlier Orion capsule was after the Exploration Flight Test-1 on Dec. 4, 2014. NASA, the U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin coordinated recovery efforts to secure the spacecraft inside the well deck of an amphibious transport dock ship in the Pacific Ocean. In the inset, a test version of the Orion capsule is pulled into the well deck during Underway Recovery Test-7 on Nov. 1, 2018. Photo credit — Primary image: U.S. Navy, Inset: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Plans call for the Artemis I capsule to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California. Divers from the recovery ship will inspect the spacecraft for hazards and hook up tending and towlines. This will allow engineers to tow the capsule into the well deck of the recovery vessel, an amphibious transport dock ship.

Following successful completion of Artemis I, plans will move forward for the first mission with an astronaut crew, Artemis II. Nelson noted that this first flight will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration as well as demonstrate America’s capability and commitment to returning humans to the Moon and beyond.

“On these increasingly complex missions, our astronauts will live and work in deep space and will develop the science and technology needed to send the first humans to Mars,” he said. “We’re going to learn how to use the resources on the Moon in order to be able to build things in the future as we go not a quarter of a million miles away, not a three-day journey, but millions and millions of miles away on a year-long journey.”

Liftoff of NASA’s Mega-Rocket

Check out this short video of the most powerful in the world lifting off from Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 16, 2022. Video courtesy of NASA