The Artemis missions of NASA are bringing humanity back to the Moon and ushering in a new era of lunar exploration. The agency plans to launch the Artemis I mission soon, an uncrewed flight test that will take a human-rated spacecraft farther than any previous mission.
Artemis I, despite being unmanned, will test critical systems for future crewed missions to the lunar region, including the first-ever launch of NASA’s most powerful rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS). The SLS rocket will take off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, and will enter a complicated orbit to deliver the Orion spacecraft to the Moon.
The Artemis I mission, which includes Orion and SLS, will receive comprehensive communications and navigation services from NASA’s two networks: the Near Space Network and the Deep Space Network, throughout its journey.
These services are required during all phases of the mission, including launch, orbit, and re-entry. The video above describes each network’s assistance and the cooperation required between the two to obtain critical spacecraft and science data from the mission.
This first Artemis I test will aid NASA in preparing networks for future crewed missions to the lunar region and, eventually, Mars.
