On October 19, the Orion crew module and service module for the Artemis II mission were connected together in NASA's Neil Armstrong Operations and Overhaul Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.After successfully completing hardware installation and testing over the past few months, engineers connected Orion's two major components to allow NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, as well as Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen to fly around the moon and safely bring them home.
The Artemis II Orion spacecraft's crew and service modules were recently integrated at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Image source: NASA
Now that the crew and service modules are integrated, the team will power up the combined crew and service modules for the first time. Once the power-up test is complete, Orion will begin altitude module testing, which will allow the spacecraft to operate in conditions as close as possible to the vacuum environment of deep space.
Artistic rendering of the Orion spacecraft with ESA's service module. The service module is located directly below the Orion crew module and provides propulsion, power, thermal control, water and air to the four astronauts. Some of these parts are only needed for launch and are discarded shortly before entering space. Spacecraft adapters connect Orion to the launch vehicle. Spacecraft Adapter disposable fairings provide aerodynamic protection during launch. When the launch vehicle is high enough above the Earth, the fairing will be ejected and fall into the ocean. Source: NASA
Developed by NASA, the Orion spacecraft represents the pinnacle of modern space exploration technology and is destined to carry astronauts deeper into the universe than ever before. Designed for long-duration crewed deep space missions, the Orion spacecraft will be the cornerstone of NASA's ambitious program to send humans to the moon, Mars and beyond. The spacecraft consists of two main parts: the crew module, where the astronauts live and work, and the service module, which provides life support, propulsion and other necessary systems for the crew.
Orion's crew module has a state-of-the-art life support system and can accommodate up to six astronauts working in deep space for 21 days. This capability ensures crew health when separated from other support structures, such as lunar gateways or deep space vehicles. The spacecraft's service module was developed in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA) and provides the crew module with essentials such as propulsion, power, temperature control and water.
Building on the Apollo and Space Shuttle programs, the Orion spacecraft marked a new era in space exploration.