NASA’s Artemis II Orion spacecraft has received its launch abort system, a key milestone toward the historic crewed mission around the Moon. Devamını Oku
NASA Stacks Artemis 2 Upper Stage Amid Uncertainty Over SLS Program
NASA has reached a key milestone in the preparation for its Artemis 2 mission with the successful stacking of the rocket’s second stage, the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS). The operation took place on May 1 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The ICPS will play a crucial role in sending NASA’s Orion spacecraft and its four-person crew—three Americans and one Canadian—beyond Earth’s orbit on a free-return trajectory around the Moon.
The ICPS arrived at the VAB in April and was carefully lifted into position atop the massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. According to NASA, the upper stage was fitted into the rocket stage adapter, a process supported by detailed imaging released during the stacking operation. Meanwhile, the Orion crew module and service module, built by Lockheed Martin, also arrived at the center and are now undergoing final preparations before being integrated with the launch system.
While Artemis 2 marks a major step forward for NASA’s lunar ambitions, questions remain about the long-term future of the SLS and Orion programs. Artemis 1, an uncrewed mission launched in 2022, uncovered issues with Orion’s heat shield, leading to delays in subsequent missions. For Artemis 2, the crew will conduct a lunar flyby rather than an orbital mission, testing life-support systems and deep space operations ahead of future crewed landings.
NASA aims for Artemis 3 to land astronauts on the lunar surface in 2027 using SpaceX’s Starship as the lunar lander. The success of Artemis 2 is therefore critical—not only as a test of new technologies and mission operations but also as a vote of confidence in the SLS-Orion architecture amid growing pressure to streamline and modernize NASA’s exploration strategy.