Californian Businesses Honored for Artemis Mission Support

NASA and its contractors embarked on a tour of California from May 2 to 4 to recognize businesses for their ongoing support for Artemis, a series of missions aimed at establishing a long-term presence on the moon and sending humans to Mars. Such companies are responsible for supplying key components of the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft, two parts of the mechanism that will be used to send astronauts to the lunar surface.

Officials from NASA and Artemis contractors Aerojet Rocketdyne, Boeing, Jacobs, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman visited nine facilities such as Aerojet’s site in Canoga Park, which is manufacturing and testing RS-25 engines for SLS flights. On a May 3 community event, 21 Southern Californian small businesses that supplied various parts and services for the mission were honored for their contributions.

In a press release, NASA noted that California hosts the largest share of workers supporting Artemis with upwards of 16,000 employees and 500 companies. The state’s aerospace and defense exports were worth $15 billion in 2021, NASA said Friday.