Lockheed Martin completes the development and testing of NASA's Orion spacecraft for the Artemis II mission, bringing humanity closer to returning to the Moon and beyond.
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| Lockheed Martin finishes Orion spacecraft assembly for NASA’s Artemis II mission, setting the stage for a crewed journey to the Moon and advancing lunar exploration. Image: Lockheed Martin |
DENVER, USA — May 2, 2025:
Lockheed Martin has successfully completed the assembly and testing of NASA’s Orion spacecraft for the highly anticipated Artemis II mission to the Moon. The company transferred possession of the spacecraft to NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) team today, marking a significant milestone in NASA’s Artemis program. The achievement brings the U.S. one step closer to its goal of returning humans to the Moon and establishing a sustainable human presence for exploration and scientific discovery. Additionally, the mission will lay the groundwork for humanity’s first crewed missions to Mars.
Orion, developed as the most advanced, human-rated deep space spacecraft ever built, is a critical component of NASA’s Artemis program. Lockheed Martin serves as the prime contractor for the spacecraft, responsible for designing and constructing the crew module, crew module adaptor, and launch abort system.
“This milestone reflects the incredible dedication of our employees and suppliers who’ve worked tirelessly to reach this point,” said Kirk Shireman, Vice President of Human Space Exploration and Orion Program Manager at Lockheed Martin. “The completion of the Orion spacecraft for Artemis II is a major step toward establishing a long-term lunar presence. It’s exciting to think that soon, astronauts will see the Earth rise over the lunar horizon and travel farther from Earth than ever before.”
Following successful uncrewed test flights including EFT-1 and Artemis I, Artemis II will put Orion through its final tests with a crew onboard. The mission will validate the spacecraft’s deep space capabilities, with several enhancements added after insights from previous test flights.
To support crew health and safety, key new systems have been integrated, including life support systems for air, water, and waste management, along with temperature control, communications, exercise equipment, and a fully functional launch abort system. The spacecraft is also equipped with docking sensors and an experimental laser communication system, which will enable high-data-rate communications for future missions.
With the completion of the Orion spacecraft, NASA's EGS team will begin the final preparations for launch. The spacecraft will be moved from the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to various processing facilities. Here, it will undergo propellant loading, oxygen and water filling, installation of the launch abort system, and fitting of its protective fairings. Once ready, Orion will be transferred to the Vehicle Assembly Building, where it will be lifted onto the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for final pre-launch procedures.
Scheduled for launch in early 2026, Artemis II will be the first crewed mission to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. The mission will carry NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day journey. They will fly 4,600 miles beyond the Moon and back, testing the spacecraft’s performance and navigation systems.
In addition to evaluating the spacecraft’s systems, the crew will conduct scientific experiments and practice docking operations with the SLS upper stage, which will be essential for future Artemis missions like Artemis III. Artemis III will mark the first human landing on the lunar surface since Apollo 17.
Lockheed Martin continues to build and assemble Orion spacecraft for future Artemis missions. Work is already underway for Artemis III and IV, with the pressure vessel for these missions being welded at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. Lockheed Martin has been tasked with developing Orion spacecraft for up to Artemis VIII, with each new vehicle being delivered at a reduced cost.
The completion of Orion for Artemis II is not only a triumph for Lockheed Martin and NASA but a significant step toward humanity’s next great leap in space exploration.