“Thanks to the hard work of women and men across our country, NASA’s deep space exploration system is the Artemis program’s foundation. With their contributions, America leads in human exploration at the Moon and it will be the same for Mars,” said NASA Deputy Administrator
The Artemis I team includes five prime contractors and hundreds of suppliers from all 50 states, all of which are committed to the safe and successful launch of the most powerful rocket ever built and the only capsule capable of transporting and sustaining a crew in deep space, as well as successful mission execution and safe return of the lunar orbit mission. Representatives from this team of suppliers will meet in
The five major industry players that are building and preparing to launch the SLS and Orion spacecraft for NASA’s crewed exploration missions include:
Aerojet Rocketdyne (NYSE:AJRD), which provides the reliable, flight-proven RS-25 and RL10 engines for the core and upper stage that carry SLS and Orion into orbit and on to deep space. It also provides the jettison motor for Orion’s Launch Abort System and 21 thrusters on the Orion crew and service modules.Boeing (NYSE: BA), which designed, developed, built and is now testing the rocket’s massive core stage and avionics, having completed the upper stage last year.Jacobs (NYSE: J), which has modernized and upgraded ground systems and launch facilities at theKennedy Space Center , and is preparing to integrate and process the SLS and Orion flight hardware for launch.Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), which has designed and is building the Orion spacecraft that will carry astronauts out to the Moon and beyond.Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC), which provides the rocket boosters that supply more than 75% of initial required thrust during the first two minutes of flight, as well as the attitude control motor and abort motor for Orion’s Launch Abort System.
Recent SLS milestones include production completion of the Artemis I core stage flight hardware for first flight, now at
The Artemis I Orion spacecraft is complete and was shipped to NASA’s
At KSC, the EGS team recently completed verification and validation of the modified mobile launcher and Launch Pad 39B systems. The team also received the massive SLS Core Stage Pathfinder at KSC, and conducted a month-long series of exercises in the
Upcoming 2020 milestones for launch readiness will see these following programs integrated at KSC:
- The SLS rocket booster segments will be delivered to KSC and, along with the booster forward and aft assemblies, will be integrated in the
Vehicle Assembly Building . - The core stage and integrated RS-25 engines will complete Green Run testing at Stennis, and refurbishment, before being shipped to KSC for mating with the boosters.
- The
Orion Artemis I crew and service module will return fromPlum Brook Station for final testing and integration prior to launch. - In addition to receiving SLS and Orion hardware for processing and stacking, the EGS team will conduct the Underway Recovery Test-8 in the
Pacific Ocean in March, to validate the recovery procedures and operational timelines during a full mission rehearsal of Orion capsule recovery after splashdown.
Artemis I will be the first integrated flight test of the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft. The mission will send Orion into a lunar distant retrograde orbit – a wide orbit around the Moon that is farther from Earth than any human-rated spacecraft has ever traveled. The uncrewed mission will last more than 20 days and will validate the design and safety of Orion and SLS for human exploration missions to follow. To learn more about Artemis I, visit www.exploredeepspace.com.
Aerojet Rocketdyne : https://www.rocket.com/space/launch-vehicle-propulsion/space-launch-systemBoeing : http://www.boeing.com/space/space-launch-system/Lockheed Martin : www.lockheedmartin.com/orion- Northrop Grumman: https://www.northropgrumman.com/capabilities/slssolidrocketboosters/Pages/default.aspx
- Jacobs: https://www.jacobs.com/solutions/discovery
To explore the network of companies in 50 states and
Contacts:
Mary Engola mary.engola@rocket.com 571-289-1371 | gary.p.napier@lmco.com 720-224-7955 |
patricia.a.soloveichik@boeing.com 256-476-6046 | Northrop Grumman: kay.anderson@ngc.com 435-230-2787 |
Jacobs: tracy.e.yates@nasa.gov 321-861-7957 |
Source:
2020 GlobeNewswire, Inc., source