Orion Program Update:Gateway Milestones

On 5 January 2023,NASA announced that technicians at the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility,New Orleans,had finished welding the pressure vessel,or backbone,of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV),or capsule, for the Artemis IV mission,the first crewed mission to the Gateway lunar space station.Gateway's two initial components,the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) and the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) are being designed and constructed by Northrop Grumman and Maxar Technologies,respectively.Earlier,on 3 January,a new Gateway mockup was delivered to NASA Kennedy Space Center,to facilitate astronaut training on HALO systems.Gateway will be the most distant space station ever built,flying in a near-rectilinear lunar orbit,so crews will need extensive training on its operations.* The Co-manifested Launch Vehicle (CLV),referring to the HALO and the PPE,will be launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket at KSC Launch Complex 39A no earlier than November 2024.Future Gateway modules will include the European Space Agency (ESA)/Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) International Habitation module (I-HAB),which will increase the station's habitability capacity from its initial 30 days up to 60 days;the ESA ESPRIT-Refueler;and further logistics modules.The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) will provide the Gateway External Robotics System (GERS) called Canadarm3.Indeed,one of the four Artemis IV astronauts will be a Canadian.The Blue Origin Human Landing System (HLS) that will potentially transport astronauts on Gateway to the lunar surface is being co-developed by Blue Origin,Northrop Grumman,Lockheed Martin and The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory;while the SpaceX Starship has been selected to transport astronauts to the lunar surface for NASA'S initial lunar landing of the Artemis III return to the moon mission.NASA will award future lunar landing contracts on a competitive basis after Artemis III.* Gateway will provide unique science capabilities,allowing extended views of Earth,Sun,Moon and space not possible from Earth's surface or Low Earth Orbit (LEO).Two of the first three experiments for Gateway will be attached to the station's exterior.They will monitor the Sun's radiation environment and space weather,respectively;while a third experiment will fly inside HALO to study radiation shielding effects and improve radiation physics models for cancer,cardiovascular and central nervous system effects,helping assess crew risk on deep space exploration missions.At the same time,International Space Station missions will continue to be flown.* In HALO,there are accomodations for storing food,water,tools and experiments,plus space for exercise and sleep.It also provides a safe and healthy atmosphere,regulating proper rates of oxygen and nitrogen,while filtering the air for contaminent removal.ESA is providing the HALO Lunar Communication System (HLCS).* The Gateway will be a staging point for sustained lunar exploration and extensibility towards long-term lunar and solar system exploration.HALO itself is 3 meters/9.84 feet in diameter and has three docking ports.It features Time-Triggered Ethernet (TTE) for seamless integration of modules,payloads and subsystem components.* Lockheed Martin (LMT),Maxar Technologies Inc (MAXR), Northrop Grumman (NOC)

Orion Program Update:Launch Windows Set for Artemis I Mission - plus a closer look at the Orion capsule

On 2 July 2022,the complete Space Launch System rocket/Orion spacecraft stack for the uncrewed Artemis I test flight arrived back at the Kennedy Space Center Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB).It had completed the wet dress rehearsal,or fueling test,at Launch Complex 39B and been moved on the crawler transporter to the VAB.NASA teams extended access platforms around the stacked vehicles to facilitate final preparations for launch.The preferred launch windows for the mission are from 23-29 August and 2-6 September 2022.Artemis I involves sending the Orion crew module and European Service Module (ESM) on a journey 40,000 miles/64,373.6 kilometers past the Moon,the farthest a human-rated spacecraft has ever been from Earth.Three manikins will be strapped into the capsule to provide data on what the astronauts will experience on Orion.* In the VAB,technicians are inspecting,fixing and checking out equipment associated with a seal of the tail service mast umbilical that leaked during the 20 June wet dress rehearsal.Engineers are examining the area where they will replace two seals on the quick disconnect hardware.Engineers have already completed the last remaining engineering test that is part of the VAB integrated testing operations.In other work,engineers swapped out a computer on the Boeing Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) called the Inertial Navigation and Control Assembly unit and replaced it with the actual flight computer,which will be tested next week.The new flight unit has freshly calibrated inertial navigation sensors and updated software to guide and navigate the upper stage during flight,the NASA Artemis blog indicated.Technicians have also been activating numerous batteries for the SLS rocket elements,such as those on the Solid Rocket Boosters and ICPS.Still to come is activation of batteries for the SLS Core Stage and the installation of all batteries.Batteries power the rocket elements in the final countdown moments and during ascent on launch day.As well,enginners charged batteries for the secondary payloads located on the Orion Stage Adapter.In coming weeks,they will install the payloads inside the Orion spacecraft,NASA said.* The Orion capsule,which forms the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (OCMPV) with the ESM,is uniquely designed for deep space exploration.It can accomodate a crew of four for up to 21 days on journeys to the Moon and lunar orbiting Gateway space station.Eventually,the Orion spacecraft will play a key role in sending humans to Mars.Together with the ESM,the capsule offers advanced technology for deep space missions that will provide life support,avionics,power systems and state-of-the-art thermal protection during launch,landing and recovery.* A backbone assembly of crisscrossing aluminum beams in the Orion capsule provides the floor structure where crew seats are attached and crew storage lockers are located.Touch screen control panels eliminate the need for paper manuals and toggle switches.Water tanks and a dispenser will provide drinking water and facilitate rehydration and warming of food.A hygiene bay contains a new compact toilet with advanced design making it easier to use for both men and women,while a built in exercise device provides both aerobic and strength training.Two large storage lockers on the floor of the capsule serve as shelters during a radiation event such as solar flares,using dense materials on board for shielding.The Orion crew module is 50% larger than the Apollo capsule.* Lockheed Martin is prime contractor for the Orion spacecraft and Airbus Defence and Space builds the ESM.Thales Alenia Space makes thermomechanical contributions to the ESM,including micrometeoroid protection.* Lockheed Martin (LMT),Boeing (BA),Airbus Group (EADSY) US:OTC