Artemis 1 (officially Artemis I)[3] is a planned uncrewed test flight for NASA's Artemis program. It is the first flight of the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) super heavy-lift launch vehicle and the first flight of the Orion MPCV.[a][4] As of August 2022, Artemis 1 is set to launch on August 29th.[5]
Formerly known as Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1), the mission was renamed after the introduction of the Artemis program. The launch will be held at Launch Complex 39B (LC-39B) at the Kennedy Space Center, where an Orion spacecraft will be sent on a mission of between 26 and 42 days,[6] with at least 6 of those days in a distant retrograde orbit around the Moon.[6] The mission will certify the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System launch vehicle for crewed flights beginning with the second flight test of the Orion and Space Launch System, Artemis 2.[1]
The Orion spacecraft for Artemis 1 was stacked on 20 October 2021, marking the first time a super heavy-lift vehicle has been stacked inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) since the final Saturn V with Skylab.[7]
Once in orbit, the ICPS will perform a trans-lunar injection (TLI) burn, which will transfer the Orion spacecraft and 10 CubeSats on the way to the Moon. The Orion will separate from the ICPS and coast to lunar space. The Stage Adapter on ICPS will deploy 10 CubeSats that will do scientific research and perform technology demonstrations.[9]
Originally, the mission was planned to follow a circumlunar trajectory without entering orbit around the Moon.[10][11] Current plans are expected to have the Orion spacecraft spend approximately three weeks in space, including six days in a distant retrograde orbit around the Moon.[12]
Artemis I will carry a mannequin, Captain Moonikin Campos (named after Arturo Campos, an engineer who played a major role in resolving the emergency that occurred during the Apollo 13 mission),[13] alongside NASA's Snoopy[14] and ESA's Shaun the Sheep.[15] The mannequin will be equipped with radiation sensors, and its seat will contain acceleration and vibration measurement instruments.[13]
Mission timeline
Mission elapsed time
Event
Altitude
0 hours 00 minutes 00 seconds
Launch
0 km (0 miles)
Location: Kennedy Space Center
0 hours 02 minutes 12 seconds
Solid rocket booster separation
45 km (28 miles)
0 hours 03 minutes 30 seconds
Service module panels and launch abort system jettisoned
A speculative article on potential Artemis 1 launch windows from August 23 to September 6 was published by Spaceflight Now in June 2022.[17] This was later narrowed down to between August 29 and September 6.[18]
Date
Time
Duration
August 29
8:33 am EDT (13:33 UTC)
120 minutes
September 2
12:48 pm EDT (17:48 UTC)
120 minutes
September 3
2:17 pm EDT (19:17 UTC)
120 minutes
September 4
3:44 pm EDT (18:44 UTC)
120 minutes
September 5
5:12 pm EDT (22:12 UTC)
90 minutes
September 6
6:57 pm EDT (23:57 UTC)
24 minutes
History
The flight now named Artemis 1, was originally named by NASA Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) in 2012, when it was set to launch in 2017 as the first planned flight of the Space Launch System and the second uncrewed test flight of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle where Orion was to perform a circumlunar trajectory during a seven-day mission.[10][11] Before then, this initial flight had been referred to as Space Launch System 1 or SLS-1.
On 16 January 2013, NASA announced that the European Space Agency (ESA) will build the European Service Module based on its Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), so the flight could also be regarded as a test of ESA hardware as well as American, and of how the ESA components interact with the American Orion components.[19]
The Exploration Flight Test 1 (EFT-1) flight article (launched in 2014) was consciously constructed in a way that if all the missing components (seats, life support systems) were added, it would not meet the mass target.[citation needed]
In January 2015, NASA and Lockheed Martin announced that the primary structure in the Orion spacecraft would be up to 25% lighter compared to the previous one (EFT-1). This would be achieved by reducing the number of cone panels from six (EFT-1) to three (EM-1), reducing the total number of welds from 19 to 7,[20] saving the additional mass of the weld material. Other savings would be due to revising its various components and wiring. For Artemis 1, the Orion spacecraft will be outfitted with a complete life support system and crew seats, but will be left uncrewed.[21] On the seats, two mannequins will be strapped and used as radiation imaging phantoms.[22]
By July 2014, the planned initial launch date had slipped to November 2018, and in April 2017, NASA further delayed the planned date to "sometime in 2019".[23][24]
On 30 November 2020, it was reported that NASA and Lockheed Martin had found a failure with a component in one of the Orion spacecraft's power data units. Engineers working on Orion stated it could take months to replace the component, casting doubt on whether NASA could launch the Artemis 1 mission in 2021. However, NASA later clarified that it did not expect the issue to have a large impact on Artemis 1 launch date,[25][26] and NASA subsequently slipped the earliest potential launch date to 2022.
On 18 April 2022, during the rocket's wet dress rehearsal NASA discovered problems with both the mobile launcher and a leak from the upper stage. With external nitrogen tank upgrades needing to take place soon, NASA decided to roll the Artemis 1 rocket back into the Vehicle Assembly Building to make minor repairs to the upper stage and the launcher.[27] The rocket was rolled back on 26 April.[28] On 6 June 2022, SLS was rolled out to LC-39B for the second time to perform the wet dress rehearsal again.[29] The wet dress rehearsal was successful but the test revealed a hydrogen leak. SLS was rolled back to the VAB on 2 July 2022.[30]
NASA limits the amount of time the solid rocket boosters can remain stacked to "about a year" from the time two segments are joined.[31] The first and second segments of the Artemis 1 boosters were joined on 7 January 2021.[32] NASA can choose to extend the time limit based on an engineering review.[33] On 29 September 2021, Northrup Grumman indicated that the limit can be extended to eighteen months for Artemis 1, based on an analysis of the data collected when the boosters were being stacked.[34]
The first launch was originally mandated by Congress for December 2016, but it has been delayed at least sixteen times, adding nearly six years to the original six-year schedule.
Crewed Exploration Mission-1 study
Welding sequence of Orion spacecraft for Artemis 1
This flight will be uncrewed. However, NASA did a study in 2017, at the request of President Donald Trump, to investigate a crewed version of the initial SLS flight.[35] A crewed version of Exploration Mission-1 would have had a crew of two astronauts, and the flight time would have been much shorter than the uncrewed version for safety reasons. The study investigated a crewed mission even with the possibility of further delays to the launch.[36] On 12 May 2017, NASA revealed that it would not be sending astronauts to space for Orion's EM-1 mission following a months-long feasibility study.[24]
Alternative launcher study
On 13 March 2019, Administrator of NASAJim Bridenstine testified in front of a Senate hearing that NASA was considering moving the Orion spacecraft that was to fly on the first Space Launch System mission to commercial rockets to keep that mission on schedule for mid-2020. Bridenstine stated that the "SLS is struggling to meet its schedule", and that "We're now understanding better how difficult this project is and that it is going to take some additional time". Bridenstine testified that NASA was considering launching the Orion spacecraft being built for Exploration Mission-1 on commercial vehicles such as Falcon Heavy or Delta IV Heavy.[37][38] The mission would require two launches: one to place the Orion spacecraft into orbit around the Earth, and a second carrying an upper stage. The two would then dock while in Earth orbit and the upper stage would ignite to send Orion to the Moon. One challenge with this option would be carrying out that docking, as NASA does not have an ability to dock the Orion crew capsule with anything in orbit until Artemis 3.[39]
Since mid-2019, the idea was put on hold, due to another study's conclusion that it would delay the mission further.[40] The plan was eventually scrapped[when?] when it was determined that it would be difficult to have Orion rendezvous with its interim cryogenic propulsion stage in low Earth orbit.[citation needed]
Launch campaign
Engineers with Exploration Ground Systems and Jacobs prepare to lift and place the core stage of the Space Launch System launch vehicle for the Artemis I mission on the mobile launcher and in-between the already assembled twin rocket boosters.
The SLS and Orion capsule for Artemis 1 are seen fully stacked in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building.
Artemis 1 preparing for rollback to VAB for repairs
Artemis 1 stack on pad 39B ahead of the fourth wet dress rehearsal test
Launch preparations for Artemis 1 at KSC officially began on 12 June 2020, with the arrival of the solid rocket booster segments from Utah by rail.[41] Later in the summer the launch vehicle stage adapter arrived at the launch site on the Pegasus barge and was brought into the VAB for storage prior to stacking.[42] (The ICPS 2nd stage had been at KSC since July 2017.[43])
NASA and ground systems contractor Jacobs began the build up of the Artemis 1 stack in High bay 3 of the VAB, with the stacking of the two aft solid rocket booster segments on 23 November 2020.[44] Following a pause in stacking due to core stage testing delays at Stennis Space Center, stacking operations resumed on 7 January 2021.[45] On 3 March 2021, the two solid rocket boosters completed stacking on the SLS mobile launcher.
The Artemis 1 Orion spacecraft began fueling and pre-launch servicing in the Multi-Payload Processing Facility on 16 January 2021 following a handover to exploration ground systems.[46][47]
The SLS core stage for the mission (CS-1) arrived at the launch site on the Pegasus barge on 27 April 2021, following a successful green run hotfire test. It was moved to the VAB low bay for refurbishment and stacking preparations on 29 April 2021.[48] The stage was then stacked with its boosters on 12 June 2021. The stage adapter (LVSA) was stacked on the Core Stage on 22 June 2021. The ICPS upper stage was stacked on 6 July 2021. Following the completion of umbilical retract testing and integrated modal testing, the Orion stage adapter with 10 secondary payloads was stacked on top of the upper stage on 8 October 2021.[49]
On 20 October 2021 the Orion spacecraft, encapsulated under the launch abort system was rolled over to the VAB and stacked atop the SLS rocket, finishing the stacking of the Artemis 1 vehicle in High Bay-3.[50]
During a period of extensive integrated testing and checkouts one of the four RS-25 engine controllers failed, requiring a replacement and a subsequent delay of the first rollout of the rocket.[51][52]
On 17 March 2022, Artemis 1 rolled out of High Bay 3 from the Vehicle Assembly Building for the first time in order to perform a prelaunch wet dress rehearsal.
During the initial WDR attempt on 3 April, the test was scrubbed after a mobile launcher pressurization problem.[53] A second attempt to complete the test was scrubbed on 4 April, after problems with inconsistent gaseous nitrogen supply, liquid oxygen temperatures, and a vent valve that had been left closed prior to the test.[54]
During preparations for a third attempt a helium check valve on the ICPS upper stage got jammed by a piece of rubber originating from one of the rocket's umbilical arms, forcing test conductors to delay attempting to fuel the stage until the valve could be replaced in the VAB.[55][56] The third attempt to finish the test was limited to only fueling the SLS core stage. The rocket's liquid oxygen tank started loading succesfully. However, during the loading of liquid hydrogen on the core stage, a leak was discovered on the tail service mast umbilical plate, forcing another early end to the test.[57][58]
NASA elected to roll the vehicle back to the VAB to repair the hydrogen leak and the ICPS check valve, while at the same time upgrading the nitrogen supply on pad 39B after prolonged outages on the three previous wet dress rehearsals. Artemis 1 was rolled back to the VAB on 26 April.[59][60][61]
After the repairs and upgrades were complete the Artemis 1 vehicle rolled out to pad 39B for a second time on 6 June to complete the test.[62]
During the fourth wet dress rehearsal attempt on 20 June, the rocket was succesfully fully loaded with propellant on both stages, but due to a hydrogen leak on the quick disconnect of the tail service mast umbilical, the countdown could not reach the planned T-9.3 seconds mark and was stopped automatically at T-29 seconds. NASA mission managers soon determined they had completed almost all planned test objectives and declared the WDR campaign complete.[63]
On 2 July, the Artemis 1 stack was rolled back to the VAB to conduct final preparations for launch and fix the hydrogen leak on the quick disconnect, ahead of a launch targeted in a window between 29 August and 5 September.[64][65]
NASA has partnered with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Israel Space Agency (ISA) in conjunction with StemRad and Lockheed Martin to perform the Matroshka AstroRad Radiation Experiment (MARE), which will measure tissue radiation dose deposition aboard Artemis 1 and test the effectiveness of the AstroRad radiation vest in the radiation environment beyond low Earth orbit. While radiation shielding strategies of the past have relied on storm shelters in which astronauts can seek refuge when solar storms erupt, the AstroRad's ergonomic design provides a mobile protection system with a similar shielding factor as storm shelters without hindering the astronauts' ability to perform their tasks.[66]
The crew compartment of the uncrewed Artemis 1 Orion spacecraft will include two female mannequin imaging phantoms which will be exposed to the radiation environment along the lunar orbit, including solar storms and galactic cosmic rays. One phantom will be shielded with the AstroRad vest and the other will be left unprotected. The phantoms provide the opportunity to precisely measure radiation exposure not only at the surface of the body but also at the exact location of sensitive organs and tissues inside the human body. Radiation exposure will be measured with the implementation of both passive and active dosimeters intentionally distributed throughout the inside of the anthropomorphic phantoms at precise locations of sensitive tissues and high stem cell concentrations.[67][68] The results of MARE should enable Orion as a platform for other scientific experiments, provide accurate radiation risk projections of deep space exploration, and validate the protective properties of the AstroRad vest.[69] Also aboard the capsule will be a digital copy of the 14,000 entries for the Moon Pod Essay Contest hosted by Future Engineers for NASA.[70]
Secondary payloads
MPCV Stage Adapter with 9 CubeSats installed.
Thirteen low-cost CubeSat missions were competitively selected as secondary payloads on Exploration Mission-1, later Artemis 1.[71] All of them have the six-unit configuration,[72] and will reside within the Stage Adapter on top of the second stage on the launch vehicle from which they will be deployed. Ten CubeSats were ultimately installed on the Stage Adapter by October 2021, with the remaining CubeSats (Lunar Flashlight, CU-E3, and Cislunar Explorers) encountering delays that pushed them off the manifest.[9][73]
ArgoMoon, designed by Argotec and coordinated by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), is designed to image the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) of Orion for mission data and historical records. It will demonstrate technologies necessary for a small spacecraft to maneuver and operate near the ICPS.[76]
BioSentinel is an astrobiology mission that will use yeast to detect, measure, and compare the impact of deep space radiation on living organisms over long durations beyond low Earth orbit.[75]
EQUULEUS, designed by Japan's JAXA and the University of Tokyo, will image Earth's plasmasphere to study the radiation environment around the Earth while demonstrating low thrust maneuvers for trajectory control in the space between Earth and the Moon.[76]
Lunar Polar Hydrogen Mapper (LunaH-Map), a lunar orbiter designed at the Arizona State University,[78] will map hydrogen within craters near the lunar south pole, tracking depth and distribution of hydrogen-rich compounds like water. It will use a neutron detector to measure the energies of neutrons that interacted with the material on the lunar surface. Its mission is planned to last 60 days and perform 141 orbits of the Moon.[79]
Near-Earth Asteroid Scout is proof-of-concept of a controllable CubeSat solar sail spacecraft capable of encountering near-Earth asteroids (NEA).[80] Observations will be achieved through a close (≈10 km (6.2 mi)) flyby and using a high resolution science-grade monochromatic camera to measure the physical properties of a near-Earth asteroid.[80] A variety of potential targets would be identified based upon launch date, time of flight, and rendezvous velocity.
OMOTENASHI, designed by JAXA, is a lander probe to study the lunar radiation environment.[76][81]
LunIR is a spacecraft designed by Lockheed Martin to fly by the Moon and collect surface spectroscopy and thermography.
Lunar Flashlight is a lunar orbiter that will seek exposed water ice, and map its concentration at the 1–2 km (0.62–1.24 mi) scale within the permanently shadowed regions of the lunar south pole.[82][83] It was one of three CubeSat missions to miss the integration window to fly on Artemis I, and will need to find an alternative ride to the Moon.[73]
The remaining three slots were selected through a competition pitting CubeSat teams from the United States against each other in a series of ground tournaments called "NASA's Cube Quest Challenge",[84][85] and were announced by Ames Research Center on 8 June 2017. The competition was to contribute to opening deep-space exploration to non-government spacecraft. These slots were awarded to:[86]
Team Miles will demonstrate long-distance communications while in heliocentric orbit and show low-thrust trajectory control techniques by employing a hybrid ion thruster. It was designed by Fluid and Reason, LLC, Tampa, Florida.
Cislunar Explorers will demonstrate the viability of water electrolysis propulsion and interplanetary optical navigation to orbit the Moon. It was designed by Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. It was one of three CubeSat missions to miss the integration window to fly on Artemis I, and will need to find an alternative ride to the Moon.[73]
Earth Escape Explorer (CU-E3) will demonstrate long-distance communications while in heliocentric orbit. It was designed by the University of Colorado Boulder. It was one of three CubeSat missions to miss the integration window to fly on Artemis I, and will need to find an alternative ride to the Moon.[73]
Sample souvenir boarding pass for those who registered their names to be flown aboard the Artemis 1 mission
Public outreach
To raise public awareness of the Artemis 1 mission, NASA undertook a "Send Your Name With Artemis" campaign, through which people could send their names on data hardware aboard Orion. After registering their names, participants received a digital ticket with details of the mission's launch and destination.[87]
^Artemis: brand book (Report). Washington, D.C.: NASA. 2019. NP-2019-07-2735-HQ. MISSION NAMING CONVENTION: While Apollo mission patches used numbers and roman numerals throughout the program, Artemis mission names will use a roman numeral convention.This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^Berger, Thomas (2017). Exploration Missions and Radiation(PDF). International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight 11–12 October 2017 Las Cruces, New Mexico. Archived from the original(PDF) on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
^Berger, Thomas (2017). Exploration Missions and Radiation(PDF). International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight 11–12 October 2017 Las Cruces, New Mexico. ISPCS. Archived from the original(PDF) on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
^ abMcNutt, Leslie; et al. (2014). Near-Earth Asteroid Scout(PDF). AIAA Space 2014 Conference 4–7 August 2014 San Diego, California. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. M14-3850. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^"Lunar Flashlight". Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute. NASA. 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2015. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the 
