NASA successful tests propulsion engines of Orion spacecraft to be used in Artemis

NASA is sending the first woman and the next man to the moon on the Artemis mission by 2024. To stay true to their deadline, the people at NASA are working at breakneck speed and on 5 August they successfully tested Orion‘s service module in a propulsion test that will determine the engine’s spaceworthiness. The test was conducted for 12 continuous minutes where the main engine of the service module and all the eight auxiliary engines were fired simultaneously. Each of the reaction control thrusters was also periodically fired throughout the test to simulate attitude control and overall propulsion system capacity. [caption id=“attachment_7123951” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] Artist illustration of the Orion spacecraft in space. Image credit: Flickr/NASA Orion[/caption] The test simulated an abort to orbit scenario, which means that if anything goes wrong during the journey to the moon, the module will have enough power to carry the crew to a safe, temporary orbit. This will give the crew and the ground team time to figure out if they should go ahead with the mission with an alternate path or come back to earth. Mark Kirasich, program manager for Orion at NASA’s Johnson Space Center said in a statement, “Inserting Orion into lunar orbit and returning the crew on a trajectory back home to Earth requires extreme precision in both plotting the course and firing the engines to execute that plan. With each testing campaign, we conduct like this one, we’re getting closer to accomplishing our missions to the Moon and beyond.” The test was conducted at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico. The system never left the ground during the simulation of one of the most taxing situations, the abort to orbit scenario, the spacecraft’s engines could encounter after launch.

Josh Freeh, deputy manager, Orion’s Service Module, at NASA’s Glenn Research Center said in a press release, “This was our most demanding test for the pressurization system, including our propellant tanks, valves and other components. The combined international team has been working towards this test for many months.” The Orion spacecraft has been built for the sole purpose to carry human beings to space. The service module is the powerhouse of the spacecraft and provides in-space manoeuvring, power and other astronaut life support systems, including consumables like water, oxygen and nitrogen.