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<\/p>\nNASA is currently forecasting that Artemis 2 will be ready to launch no earlier than (NET) September 2023, but similar to attempting to forecast when Artemis 1 will be ready to launch, there is also uncertainty in when Artemis 2 might fly. The second joint test flight of NASA\u2019s Orion and Space Launch System (SLS) vehicles will be the first to fly a four-person crew after Artemis 1 goes on an uncrewed lunar orbit mission.<\/p>\n
Assembly, integration, and testing of the Artemis 2 Orion and SLS flight hardware continues in the U.S. and Europe independently of Artemis 1 for now, but some Orion hardware from Artemis 1 is still expected to be needed for reuse. The global COVID pandemic is also still having an effect on production activities, which could also affect when Artemis 2 is ready to launch.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Monitoring Orion hardware delivery progress and Artemis 1 schedule<\/p>\n
Currently, Artemis 2 is forecast to fly in the second half of 2023 after the long-awaited Artemis 1 uncrewed test flight. The timing for both is uncertain, and the Artemis 2 schedule depends on when Artemis 1 launches because some Orion flight hardware is planned to be used for both missions.<\/p>\n
All the flight hardware for Artemis 1 is staged in different locations around the Kennedy Space Center launch site, where Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) is handling launch processing. The final stacking sequence is expected to pick up in early-June with the mating of the SLS Core Stage to its twin Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs), but the Artemis 1 launch readiness date itself also depends on how smoothly the first-time integrated testing and checkout proceeds; recent estimates place readiness for launch anywhere between November 2021 and March 2022.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, assembly and testing of the Artemis 2 flight hardware continues around the U.S. and in Europe, with some elements already in storage waiting to be called up when needed. But the time between flights is still uncertain.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s tricky when you talk about a specific period of time between Artemis 1 and Artemis 2,\u201d Tom Whitmeyer, Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Development (ESD), said in a May 13 interview.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere we are is we\u2019re trading back and forth between when the [Orion] Service Module shows up and is ready to integrate with the Crew Module and some of the avionics that we need to put in the Crew Module, but the tricky part is that we constantly re-evaluate our schedule and there\u2019s ways that we can kind of change the order and sequence of when things are installed in the vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Credit: Airbus Defence and Space.<\/p>\n
(Photo Caption: One of the hypergolic propellant tanks for the second Orion European Service Module (ESM) is seen in October 2020 during integration activities in Bremen, Germany. Prime contractor Airbus Defence and Space is finishing integration and functional testing for a planned delivery to KSC later this year.)<\/em><\/p>\n The Orion Service Module is composed of the European Service Module (ESM) and the Crew Module Adapter (CMA). ESM Flight Model 2 (FM-2) is currently in final assembly at prime contractor Airbus Defence and Space\u2019s Assembly, Integration, and Testing facility in Bremen, Germany.<\/p>\n Once final assembly and functional testing are complete, ESM FM-2 will be flown to KSC where Orion prime contractor Lockheed Martin is building the CMA and Crew Module. According to NASA\u2019s Fiscal Year 2022 (FY 2022) budget request that was released on May 28, the ESM is scheduled to arrive at KSC in August 2021.<\/p>\n Lockheed Martin\u2019s Orion Assembly, Test, and Launch Operations (ATLO) team will complete preparations to mate the ESM and CMA and test the assembled Service Module. In parallel with the Service Module build-up, Lockheed Martin will continue integration and testing of the Crew Module ahead of mating the two completed Crew and Service Modules.<\/p>\n U.S. government watchdog organizations have cited comments from space agency officials when noting a minimum of 20 months are necessary between Artemis 1 and Artemis 2 to reuse avionics equipment. \u201cAccording to program officials, NASA will require a minimum of 20 months to refurbish and install these reused components, complete the crew and service module, and complete the EGS prelaunch processing activities,\u201d the Government Accountability Office said in a report published in December 2020.<\/p>\n Most of the work involves tasks that need to be performed after the reused avionics are installed \u2014 finishing outfitting of the CMA, ESM, and Crew Module, assembling and testing them as an integrated Crew and Service Module, and then assembling and testing of Orion with SLS. But there\u2019s also a long lead time required for those reused Orion components.<\/p>\nSee Also<\/h4>\n
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