Artemis 6
| Mission type | Crewed lunar landing, Gateway Assembly |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | {{#property:P247}} |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Orion Gateway Space Station Starship HLS |
| Manufacturer |
|
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | March 2031 (planned)[1] |
| Rocket | SLS Block 1B (Orion) |
| Launch site | Kennedy Space Center, LC-39B |
| End of mission | |
| Landing site | Pacific Ocean (planned) |
| Moon lander | |
| Landing site | South polar region |
Artemis 6 is the sixth planned mission of NASA's Artemis program. The mission will launch four astronauts on a Space Launch System rocket and an Orion to the Lunar Gateway and will be the fourth lunar landing of the Artemis program. In addition, Artemis 6 will also deliver the Crew and Science Airlock module.[2] The mission is planned for launch in March 2031, although the date may change based on NASA updates.[3]
Mission overview
The sixth mission of the Artemis program plans to use the SLS Block 1B configuration. The mission's objectives will be closely tied to the development of the Lunar Gateway and possible additional surface operations. As of 2024, hardware is in development for the mission.[4] Stated objectives that NASA has mentioned so far have been integrating additional modules to the Lunar Gateway, such as the Airlock Module or the CanadaArm3.[5]
Crew
| Position | Astronaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Commander | TBA, NASA TBA spaceflight | |
| Pilot | TBA, NASA TBA spaceflight | |
| Payload Specialist | TBA, NASA TBA spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist | TBA, NASA TBA spaceflight | |
Spacecraft
Space Launch System
The Space Launch System (SLS) is an American super heavy-lift launch vehicle used by NASA. As the primary launch vehicle of the Artemis program Moon landing program, SLS is designed to launch the crewed Orion spacecraft on a trans-lunar trajectory. The first SLS launch was the uncrewed Artemis 1, which took place on 16 November 2022.
All Space Launch System flights are launched from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The first three SLS flights use the Block 1 configuration, comprising a core stage, extended Space Shuttle boosters developed for Ares I and the ICPS upper stage. An improved Block 1B configuration, with the Exploration Upper Stage, is planned for the sixth flight; a further improved Block 2 configuration with new solid rocket boosters is planned for the ninth flight. After the launch of Artemis 4, NASA plans to transfer production and launch operations of SLS to Deep Space Transport LLC, a joint venture between Boeing and Northrop Grumman.[6][7]
Orion
Orion (Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle or Orion MPCV) is a partially reusable crewed spacecraft used in NASA’s Artemis program. The spacecraft consists of a Crew Module (CM) space capsule designed by Lockheed Martin and the European Service Module (ESM) manufactured by Airbus Defence and Space. Capable of supporting a crew of four beyond low Earth orbit, Orion can last up to 21 days undocked and up to six months docked. Orion is intended to be launched atop a Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, with a tower launch escape system.[8] The first completed unit, CM-002, was launched on November 16, 2022 on Artemis 1.[9] The European Service Module for the mission reached substantial completion in late 2023.[10]
Starship HLS, depot, and tankers
After a multi-phase design effort, on 16 April 2021, NASA selected SpaceX to develop Starship HLS for the Artemis program.[11] As of September 2024, SpaceX has performed five test flights of the Starship vehicle.[12] The fourth integrated flight test of a prototype Starship launch vehicle occurred on June 6th, 2024. The main test objectives of this flight, both of which were accomplished, were for the Super Heavy booster to simulate a landing at a "virtual tower" just above the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, and for Starship to survive at least peak heating during atmospheric re-entry. This marks the first integrated test flight where both Starship and Super Heavy successfully reentered and performed a simulated powered vertical landing in the ocean.[13]
References
This article "Artemis 6" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Artemis 6. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
- ↑ "FY 2025 Budget Request" (PDF). NASA. 12 June 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
- ↑ "UAE starts historic Lunar Gateway project". SatellitePro ME. 2024-01-22. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ↑ "FY 2025 Budget Request" (PDF). NASA. 12 June 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
- ↑ "NASA will fund six more Artemis missions as it plans return to the moon". Engadget. 2020-07-01. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
- ↑ Agency, Canadian Space (2020-12-16). "Artemis program: missions to the Moon". Canadian Space Agency. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
- ↑ Sloss, Philip (2021-02-17). "NASA completes Exploration Upper Stage CDR, focuses new office on SLS Block 1B development". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
- ↑ "Six Adapters for Crewed Artemis Flights Tested, Built at NASA Marshall - NASA". 2024-06-25. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
- ↑ "NASA's historic return Moon landing could be delayed for years, says Artemis audit". cosmosmagazine.com. 2023-12-05. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
- ↑ Foust, Jeff (2024-01-09). "NASA delays Artemis 2 and 3 missions". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
- ↑ "European Service Module-6 structure ready for integration – Orion blog". Retrieved 2024-06-17.
- ↑ Brown, Katherine (2021-04-16). "NASA Picks SpaceX to Land Next Americans on Moon". NASA. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 2023-05-19. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Young, Chris. "SpaceX's Starship lunar-landing tech passes key in-space refueling test". Interesting Engineering. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
- ↑ Foust, Jeff (2024-06-06). "Starship survives reentry during fourth test flight". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
