It’s been more than fifty years since humanity left the Moon, but with the Artemis program, NASA intends to put an end to this absence.
The goal of the Artemis program is to return to the Moon and explore our natural satellite in a sustainable way with the longer term objective Mars.
To meet these very ambitious objectives? the Artemis program subcontracts the design of important components ( HLS lunar spacecraft, LOP-G space station modules, landers for robotic missions) as well as the launch services for these spacecraft and the refueling of the space station.
In april 2021, the development of the HLS was entrusted to SpaceX. According to the established program, Artemis III will be in 2025 the first mission which will bring a crew back on the Moon.
After years of efforts, the Orion capsule took off on board the SLS on November 16, 2022 (after several attempts). In total, it spend 25 days, 10 hours and 54 minutes in space. It covered more than 2 million kilometers. During its mission, Orion placed itself in lunar orbit which allowed NASA to measure the reliability of the spacecraft. The space capsule approached the Moon to less than 130 kilometers of its surface.
This mission opens the doors to Artemis II and should also prepare the first manned flight to Mars, which we hope will take place at the end of 2030.
After 25 days of flight, the Orion capsule returned to Earth. This landing was a crucial step for NASA, which wanted to test Orion’s ability to ” return safely to Earth” in a ” precise landing”. The capsule entered the atmosphere at more than 39000 kilometers per hour that is 32 times the speed of sound. It then slowed down and made contact with the ocean at about 30 kilometers per hour. NASA underlined a “perfect landing”.
The capsule will spend 2 hours in the water to collect data including the heat inside the spacecraft during the descent to Earth.During its descent towards the Earth, the capsule reached 2760 degrees Celsius what put to the test its thermal shield.
The heat shield is made of Titan, carbon fiber and contains a coating that burns in a controlled manner under high heat.This coating had already been used during the Apollo mission but here, it is thinner and larger which increased the risks of complications. Fortunately, everything went well.
The Artemis I mission is a great success and opens the doors to the Moon.