NASA Artemis II’s Orion Crew, Service Modules Joined

The two major spacecraft components, which have undergone testing, will transport astronauts on a mission around the moon.

Integration of the crew and service modules for the Artemis II Orion spacecraft was recently completed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. [Credit: NASA]

NASA's Orion spacecraft crew and service modules that will transport astronauts around the moon on the Artemis II mission have been joined at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The 10-day Artemis II mission is expected to begin no earlier than November 2024 and will fly NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen on the first crewed mission with the agency’s goal of establishing a long-term presence on the moon.

Prior to joining, the modules successfully completed hardware installation and testing in recent months, NASA said.

Artemis II crew members Reid Wiseman (front) and Jeremy Hansen participate in training in the Orion simulator at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. [Credit: NASA/James Blair]

"Now that the crew and service modules are integrated, the team will power up the combined crew and service module for the first time,” NASA said. “After power-on tests are complete, Orion will begin altitude chamber testing, which will put the spacecraft through conditions as close as possible to the environment it will experience in the vacuum of deep space."

The crew completed the first part of  mission training in August, requiring it to master familiarity with Orion's interior. 

“The crew is making incredible progress getting ready for their flight as the first people to fly inside NASA’s newest spacecraft built for deep space,” Jacki Mahaffey, chief training officer for Artemis II at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, said in a statement. “Their training is preparing them to do everything from planned mission tasks and daily operations to how to recognize and deal with unexpected situations.”

Kimberly is managing editor of FLYING Digital.

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