Four astronauts are now inexorably bound for the Moon

The most significant tests involved Orion’s propulsion system, during which Pilot Victor Glover flew the vehicle through a variety of maneuvers primarily using Orion’s 24 reaction control thrusters. During this “proximity ops demonstration” Glover flew to within a few dozen feet of the rocket’s upper stage, and then went through a prescribed series of tests such as side to side maneuvers, up and down, pitch, roll, yaw, and more. Glover offered frequent narration during these maneuvers and, generally, said the vehicle handed better than expected.

Building confidence for Artemis III

Hu said the Orion team had confidence in the autonomous maneuvering capabilities of the vehicle, but that adding a human into the flight loop always introduces uncertainty. He praised Glover’s flying, saying, “Victor did exactly what he needed to do, and the spacecraft responded.”

All of the vehicle’s thrusters performed as intended during the multi-hour test, with no failures, Hu confirmed.

These tests are essential for NASA to have confidence in Orion’s handling for upcoming Artemis missions. NASA now plans to launch Orion on the Artemis III mission some time next year, and during this flight it is intended to dock with one or both of the lunar landers under development by SpaceX and Blue Origin, respectively, in low-Earth orbit. This will necessitate precise maneuvering. For lunar landing missions, beginning with Artemis IV, Orion will dock with a lunar lander that brings the crew down to the surface of the Moon and then back to Orion, which returns the crew to Earth.

After its flurry of activities on the first day in flight, Orion’s schedule will settle down a little bit now as the crew speeds outbound toward the Moon. It will make a lunar flyby on Monday, where approximately 20 percent of the far side will be lit as the crew passes nearest to the lunar surface. For now, it’s enough that they are on their way.