Artemis 5
Fifth orbital flight of the Artemis program
 Summary of the Artemis 5 mission plan | |
| Mission type | Crewed lunar landing, Gateway Assembly |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Orion Gateway Space Station Blue Moon Lander |
| Manufacturer |
|
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | March 2030 (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 program ← Artemis 4 Artemis 6 → | |
Artemis 5 (officially Artemis V) is the fifth planned mission of NASA's Artemis program and the first crewed flight of the Blue Moon lander.[2] The mission will launch four astronauts on a Space Launch System rocket and an Orion to the Lunar Gateway and will be the third lunar landing of the Artemis program. In addition, Artemis V will also deliver two new elements to the Gateway Space Station.[3]
Overview
Artemis V will launch four astronauts to the Gateway Space Station. The mission will deliver the European Space Agency's ESPRIT refueling and communications module and a Canadian-built robotic arm system for the Gateway. Also delivered will be NASA's Lunar Terrain Vehicle.
After docking to the Gateway, two astronauts will board the Blue Moon lunar lander and fly it down to the Lunar south pole to land near the Lunar Terrain Vehicle. This will be the first lunar landing since Apollo 17 to utilize an unpressurized lunar rover. It is planned to have the two astronauts on the surface of the Moon for about one week where they will conduct science and exploration activities.[4]
As of March 2024[update], Artemis V is scheduled to launch no earlier than March 2030.[1]
Spacecraft
Space Launch System
The Space Launch System is a super-heavy-lift launcher used to launch the Orion spacecraft from Earth to a trans-lunar orbit.
Orion
Orion is the crew transport vehicle used by all Artemis missions. It will transport the crew from Earth to the Gateway orbit, and return them back to Earth.
Gateway
Gateway is a small modular space station to be established in Near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) in late 2024. The first two Gateway elements will launch together aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy in late 2024.[5] The I-Hab habitat module will be delivered by Artemis 4.
Blue Origin's Blue Moon lander
The Blue Moon lander will transfer astronauts from the Gateway to the Lunar surface and back. Blue Origin will be the second provider to deliver Artemis astronauts to the lunar surface. NASA previously contracted SpaceX to develop and demonstrate the Starship Human Landing System.
Blue Origin will design, develop, test, and verify its Blue Moon lander to meet NASA's human landing system requirements for recurring astronaut expeditions to the lunar surface. In addition to design and development work, the contract includes one uncrewed demonstration mission to the lunar surface and the crewed demo in 2029. The total award value of the contract is $3.4 billion.[6]
Lunar Terrain Vehicle
The Lunar Terrain Vehicle is an unenclosed rover being developed by NASA that astronauts will drive on the Moon while wearing their spacesuits.
References
- ^ a b "NASA Budget FY2025" (PDF). 11 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ^ O’Shea, Claire (19 May 2023). "NASA Selects Blue Origin as Second Artemis Lunar Lander Provider". NASA. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
- ^ Foust, Jeff (20 January 2022). "NASA foresees gap in lunar landings after Artemis 3". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
- ^ O’Shea, Claire (19 May 2023). "NASA Selects Blue Origin as Second Artemis Lunar Lander Provider". NASA. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
- ^ Foust, Jeff (10 February 2021). "NASA selects Falcon Heavy to launch first Gateway elements". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
- ^ O’Shea, Claire (19 May 2023). "NASA Selects Blue Origin as Second Artemis Lunar Lander Provider". NASA. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
External links
- Orion website at nasa.gov
- Space Launch System website at nasa.gov
- v
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| Uncrewed | |
|---|---|
| Crewed |
- Human Landing System
- Starship
- Blue Moon
- Lunar Gateway
- Lunar Terrain Vehicle
- Orion
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