Quote from: NASA OrionTransport time!🚚The pressure vessel for #Artemis IV is ready to ship from Michoud Assembly Facility to @NASAKennedy, where it will become the third Orion spacecraft to carry crew to the Moonhttps://twitter.com/NASA_Orion/status/1623436225360318465
Transport time!🚚The pressure vessel for #Artemis IV is ready to ship from Michoud Assembly Facility to @NASAKennedy, where it will become the third Orion spacecraft to carry crew to the Moon
#Artemis IV @NASA_Orion crew module pressure vessel arrives at @NASA_Kennedy. Our spacecraft factory is in full swing with 3 Orion vehicles being prepared to carry humans to the Moon.
The @NASA_Orion pressure vessel is in development at the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at @NASAKennedy. This Orion vehicle will be the first to dock with @NASA_Gateway, the future lunar outpost that will orbit the Moon.
QuoteThe @NASA_Orion pressure vessel is in development at the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at @NASAKennedy. This Orion vehicle will be the first to dock with @NASA_Gateway, the future lunar outpost that will orbit the Moon.
Quote from: FutureSpaceTourist on 03/02/2023 02:41 pmQuoteThe @NASA_Orion pressure vessel is in development at the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at @NASAKennedy. This Orion vehicle will be the first to dock with @NASA_Gateway, the future lunar outpost that will orbit the Moon.I think this oversimplifies the Artemis IV mission. Orion will not be the first spacecraft to dock to Gateway. As I understand it: 1)Starship HLS will dock to Gateway's HALO before Orion/I-HAB gets there. 2)Dragon XL will also Doc to Gateway's HALO before Orion/I-HAB gets there. 3)Orion will Dock to the co-manifested I-HAB before I-HAB is connected to Gateway. I don't think this counts as "docking to Gateway". 4)Orion will do the hard and impressive work of docking I-HAB to HALO. IMO this is harder than later dockings of Orion to Gateway, but whether or not it is "docking to Gateway" is subject to interpretation. This is arguably the most interesting piece of the mission other than the actual lunar landing.
KSC-20230221-PH-KSL03_0009 Seen here is the pressure vessel for the Artemis IV mission inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 21, 2023. The pressure vessel is the underlying structure of the Orion crew module, containing the pressurized atmosphere astronauts will breathe and work in while in the vacuum of deep space. Artemis IV will be the first operational mission to Gateway - an outpost in lunar orbit serving as a staging point for deep space exploration - followed by a week-long surface mission on the Moon. Using Gateway, NASA will develop a long-term presence on the Moon, using this as a steppingstone before venturing on to Mars. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Left to right: Artemis III, Artemis IV, and Artemis II Orion Crew Modules.@LMSpace is assembling the fourth thru sixth Orion at the Kennedy Space Center, the first three being EFT-1, STA, and Artemis I.AR2: Heatshield installAR3: Prop & ECLSS welding AR4: Primary Structure
This is the Orion thread for Artemis IV... it hasn't been updated in a while.
The Artemis IV CM welding will be completed in Q2 FY 2024. Following delivery of the Artemis IV pressure vessel and primary structure parts to KSC, the Orion Program will continue through FY 2025.
The Artemis IV CM and SM AI&P will be in progress throughout FY 2025.
NASA’s Moon to Mars office is tracking potential issues with the Artemis IV mission’s planned mass. The Artemis IV mission will include Orion comanifested with an International Habitat (I-HAB) on the SLS Block 1B launch vehicle. As of November 2023, both I-HAB and Orion had exceeded their masses. Orion officials said they are not pursuing design changes to reduce mass at the program level. However, NASA established a team to mitigate the issue. The team is determining actions to reduce I-HAB mass, add additional Orion propellant, and obtain additional SLS performance information.
NASA is implementing enhancements to how future heat shields—for Artemis III and beyond—are manufactured to achieve uniformity and consistent permeability.
NASA will conduct an orderly phase out of the Orion vehicle after Artemis III. NASA will initiate a new procurement to obtain commercial transportation services to conduct later Artemis missions.
NASA proposes to use unobligated balances previously appropriated to support the termination of these activities, including, but not limited to, ongoing administration, oversight, monitoring, and funding of procurements previously awarded by the Orion Program.
$20,000,000 for expenses related to the continued procurement of the multi-purpose crew vehicle described in section 303 of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18323), known as the `Orion', for use with the Space Launch System on the Artemis IV Mission and reuse in subsequent Artemis Missions, of which not less than $20,000,000 shall be obligated not later than fiscal year 2026.
