Artemis 1: what is it?

Artemis I will consist of an unmanned test flight around the Moon following a trajectory similar to that of the mission Apollo 8, using the gravity lunar to gain speed and to propel itself nearly 70,000 kilometers beyond the Moon, nearly half a million kilometers from Earth farther than any human has ever travelled.

On his return trip, Orion will perform a overview from the Moon before returning to Earth. The mission will end with a dip in the Pacific Ocean. Depending on the mission launch date, Artemis I could last 26 or 42 days! The duration of the mission depends on the position of the Moon relative to the Earth, which will allow the Orion spacecraft to perform either a half-orbit or a orbit and a half.

A flight to check the proper functioning of the Orion capsule

This mission is above all technical in the sense that its main objective is to test the in-flight capabilities of the Orion capsule and the SLS launcher in flight. It must also make it possible to test in flight the maneuvers and trajectories useful and necessary for flights beyond the Moon.

Other Artemis I objectives include testing Orion’s heat shield, working the solar panels, and resistance from systems, subsystems and on-board computing to space radiation. Three dummies will be installed on board the capsule in order to study the conditions physical expected during human travel aboard Orion. This first mission of the Artemis program should take place between August 23 and September 6.