Artemis I – Flight Day Three: Orion Conducts First Spacecraft Inspection, “Exceeding Expectations”

Orion, in the foreground of the picture, is a bright white in contrast to the darkness of space. The Moon is approximately 3/4 illuminated to the right of the spacecraft, still over 100,000 miles away.
On the third day of the Artemis I mission, Orion maneuvered its solar arrays and captured the Moon with a camera mounted on the end of the array. The spacecraft is now halfway to the Moon. The video is available by clicking the image or visiting the Johnson Space Center Flickr.

On the third day of its Artemis I journey, NASA’s uncrewed Orion spacecraft is now more than half way to the Moon.  

“Today, we met to review the Orion spacecraft performance, and it is exceeding performance expectations.” said Mike Sarafin, Artemis I mission manager. 

Friday, flight controllers used Orion’s cameras to inspect the crew module thermal protection system and European Service Module, the first of two planned external evaluations for the spacecraft. Teams conducted this survey early in the mission to provide detailed images of the spacecraft’s external surfaces after it has flown through the portion of Earth’s orbit where the majority of space debris resides. The second inspection is required during the return phase to assess the overall condition of the spacecraft several days before re-entry. During both inspections, the Integrated Communications Officer, or INCO, commands cameras on the four solar array wings to take still images of the entire spacecraft, allowing experts to pinpoint any micrometeoroid or orbital debris strikes. The team in mission control at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston will review the imagery following the survey. 

Over the past few days, a team assessed anomalous star tracker data that correlated with thruster firings. Star trackers are sensitive cameras that take pictures of the star field around Orion. By comparing the pictures to its built-in map of stars, the star tracker can determine which way Orion is oriented. Teams now understand the readings and there are no operational changes.

NASA also has received updates from teams associated with the 10 CubeSats that were delivered to space on a ring attached to the Space Launch System rocket’s upper stage. All 10 CubeSats were successfully deployed via timer from the adapter. The CubeSats’ individual missions are separate from Artemis I. The small satellites, each about the size of a shoebox, are inherently high-risk, high-reward and the teams are in various stages of mission operations or troubleshooting in some cases. 

NASA hosted a briefing Friday previewing Orion’s arrival to the lunar sphere of influence. To follow the mission real-time, you can track Orion during its mission around the Moon and back, and check the NASA TV schedule for updates on the next televised events. The first episode of Artemis All Access is now available as a recap of the first three days of the mission with a look ahead to what’s coming next, and the latest imagery and videos can be found on the Johnson Space Center Flickr.