NASA Says Artemis I Test Objectives Assure Future Astronaut Safety

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration will put the Orion spacecraft and related systems through extreme tests as part of the Artemis I mission, a planned uncrewed test flight for the broader lunar program. Insights gleaned from these tests are expected to inform engineers as they prepare for subsequent manned Artemis missions, NASA said Friday.

In a statement, the space agency said that Orion’s heat shields top the list of systems that will be tested during the Artemis Program’s maiden flight. It was explained that engineers want to know how the heat shields will stand up to lunar return velocities.

NASA said it wants to find out how all operations and facilities work together during all mission phases. Much of these insights will be obtained through the successful retrieval of the empty crew module for post-flight analysis.

NASA emphasized that its Artemis I test objectives are intended to help reduce the risk for missions with people onboard and provide extra data for engineers to assess trends in spacecraft performance or improve confidence in Orion’s capabilities.

Artemis I represents the first integrated flight of the Space Launch System rocket, Orion spacecraft, and the exploration ground systems at NASA’s spaceport in Florida.

On NASA’s website, it was explained that the primary goal of the mission is to assure a safe crew module entry, descent, splashdown and recovery. In addition to sending Orion on its journey around the moon, the SLS will carry 10 small satellites that will perform their own science and technology investigations.