NASA’s Artemis I mission: everything to know about the big launch – The Verge

NASA successfully completes its Artemis I mission

2022-12-11T12:56:13-05:00

NASA’s Orion capsule splashed down into the Pacific Ocean at around 12:40PM ET. | Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

NASA's Orion spacecraft has returned to Earth. The uncrewed capsule safely splashed down into the Pacific Ocean off of Mexico's Baja California around 12:40PM ET on Sunday, marking the end of the landmark Artemis I mission.

The capsule reached speeds of about 24,500mph as it returned to Earth, while its heat shield sustained scorching temperatures of around 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Orion traveled a total of 1.4 million miles through space over the span of 25.5 days.

As it reentered Earth's atmosphere, the Orion capsule successfully performed a skip entry maneuver, in which Orion dipped into Earth's upper atmosphere and lifted out before r …

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How to watch the end of NASA’s Artemis I mission

2022-12-10T08:30:00-05:00

NASA’s SLS rocket sends the Orion Capsule on its way to the Moon on November 16th, 2022. The capsule is set to return to Earth on December 11th. | Photo by Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel / Tribune News Service via Getty Images

This weekend NASA's Orion spacecraft will return to Earth, following its 25-day mission around the Moon. The uncrewed spacecraft is scheduled to splash down in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday, December 11th.

Since its launch on November 16th, Orion has traveled through Earth's atmosphere and out into space, making a close flyby of the Moon and heading into a distant orbit, reaching a distance of over 43,000 miles from the Moon at its furthest point. Orion traveled around the Moon and made a second close flyby on the return journey and is now on its way back to Earth.

The biggest challenge that awaits the spacecraft now is safely entering the E …

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At its halfway point, NASA’s Artemis I mission breaks a record

2022-11-29T15:11:46-05:00

“Orion reached its maximum distance from Earth during the Artemis I mission when it was 268,563 miles away from our home planet.” — NASA | Image: NASA

On Monday, NASA's Orion spacecraft reached its farthest distance from Earth, clocking in at 268,563 miles away from our planet. This marks the halfway point of the 25.5-day Artemis I mission, and the spacecraft will now continue its orbit around the Moon before heading back toward Earth.

"Artemis I has had extraordinary success and has completed a series of history-making events," NASA administrator Bill Nelson said in a press conference, pointing out that Orion was the first spacecraft designed to carry humans to enter a distant retrograde lunar orbit and that it has surpassed the record for the furthest distance traveled away from Earth b …

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NASA’s Orion spacecraft makes close flyby of the Moon and heads on to orbit

2022-11-22T12:46:16-05:00

NASA’s Orion capsule snaps a selfie, with the far side of the Moon in the background. | Image: NASA

NASA's Orion spacecraft has made it past the Moon as part of the uncrewed Artemis I mission, firing its engines to pass within 81 miles of the lunar surface, and is operating with high accuracy.

The spacecraft performed an outbound powered flyby burn yesterday, Monday, November 21st, completing its closest flyby. The engines "all worked perfectly," said Judd Frieling, a flight director at NASA's Johnson Space Center, in a press conference. With three trajectory correction burns performed, the spacecraft has now fired all three of its thruster types: its large orbital maneuvering system engine, small reaction control system thrusters, and m …

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Putting Amazon’s Alexa in space is harder than you think

2022-11-17T13:00:00-05:00

A demo version of the Callisto technology payload on the Orion. The device includes Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant and an iPad running Webex. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

"Alexa, how far are we from Earth?

"Currently, Orion is 204,066 miles away from Earth and 230,986 miles away from the Moon."

No, Amazon's digital voice assistant hasn't lost the plot; Alexa hitched a ride on the Orion spacecraft. Following a successful launch of NASA's Artemis I mission this week, Alexa is currently hurtling toward the Moon.

"Alexa, how fast are we going?

"Orion's current relative velocity to Earth is 3,281 miles per hour."

Earlier this summer, on the day Artemis I was originally scheduled to launch, I spent an hour testing out the capabilities of this new deep space voice assistant down on the ground at Kennedy Space C …

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NASA’s Artemis 1 mission is finally headed toward the Moon

2022-11-16T02:29:59-05:00

NASA’s SLS takes off on its first flight. | NASA

With a roar that lit up the night sky, NASA sent its colossal next-generation rocket soaring into space for the first time on Wednesday. The Space Launch System rocket, or SLS, took off at 1:47AM ET from Cape Canaveral, Florida, signaling the start of a bold new era for the US government's space program.

It also marks a major success for NASA's Artemis program to return to the Moon, which has been plagued by years of delays, development mishaps, and billions of dollars in budget overruns. During the past few months, both hurricanes and technical difficulties caused launch delays - including two scrubs. Then, tonight, engineers managed to fi …

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NASA’s megarocket is about to blast off toward the Moon

2022-11-15T17:15:52-05:00

Okay, space fans. The moment is almost here. NASA is about to launch its next-generation rocket for the first time and send it hurtling out beyond the Moon. It's going to be a wild time, but honestly, there's been a lot going on here on Earth, too - and if you're anything like me, you might be in the market for a quick refresher on what exactly is going down when NASA's next big thing blasts off.

Consider this your SLS cheat sheet as NASA gears up for its big launch on November 16th.

What is SLS?

It stands for Space Launch System.

That seems like a very boring name.

It is. But it is also extremely functional, seeing as it refers to a …

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NASA’s Space Launch System rocket weathers the storm

2022-11-15T11:10:59-05:00

The Orion capsule and Space Launch System on November 13th, 2022. | Photo by Red Huber/Getty Images

NASA's Artemis I mission is still set to launch this week after its Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft were buffeted by high winds during Hurricane Nicole. The rocket and spacecraft suffered only "very minor damage," according to NASA officials. The aim of the Artemis I mission is to launch the spacecraft on an uncrewed mission around the Moon to test out the technology before a series of crewed missions visit the Moon.

The decision to leave the rocket on the launchpad during a hurricane was controversial, as experts were concerned that high winds could cause it to rock. Previously, when Hurricane Ian threatened the Florida coa …

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How to watch NASA’s Artemis I SLS megarocket launch

2022-11-15T11:08:47-05:00

NASA's massive Space Launch System (SLS) is almost ready for liftoff after facing multiple setbacks, including two scrubbed launch attempts and two hurricane-caused delays. This highly anticipated rocket launch has been over a decade in the making and marks NASA's return to crewed missions to the Moon. This mission is called Artemis I, and while there won't be any astronauts on board during this launch, it will serve as a test for the future goal of putting the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon.

During its first launch, the SLS will catapult NASA's Orion capsule into space, where it will embark on a voyage around the Moo …

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NASA’s Artemis I launch is delayed again as Tropical Storm Nicole approaches

2022-11-09T15:42:09-05:00

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is illuminated by spotlights after sunset on November 6th, 2022. | Joel Kowsky/NASA via Getty Images

NASA's massive next-generation rocket is facing down yet another tropical weather system, delaying its next launch attempt until November 16th at the earliest.

This rocket was scheduled to finally launch on November 14th, taking off in the dark early morning hours. But with Tropical Storm Nicole approaching the Florida coast, NASA decided to push back the launch attempt. "Adjusting the target launch date will allow the workforce to tend to the needs of their families and homes, and provide sufficient logistical time to get back into launch status following the storm," a NASA blog post said.

The next launch attempt will take place two days …

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