On December 11, 2022, the Orion spacecraft successfully landed in the Pacific Ocean after a flawless 25-day test flight. The mission, called Artemis 1, was supposed to do an unmanned test for the Orion spacecraft and the SLS rocket. Both performed perfectly according to NASA.
Orion was launched this November, propelled by the SLS rocket with 8 million pounds of thrust, the most powerful launch so far. Orion was sent into Earth orbit where it departed and was sent into orbit around the moon. Once the spacecraft reached lunar orbit, NASA did several tests with its functioning system and tested it in every single way. The spacecraft did these tasks with ease and was reported to be “healthy and functional” throughout the entire mission, with only “small glitches,” according to NASA.
The minor glitches that Orion experienced were with its star tracking system and sometimes its antenna, but other than that, the mission was completed with a success rate of 98%.
Orion is supposed to carry people back to the moon in 2024 but before it can do that, it has to be tested by a human-rated spacecraft. Those involve testing the spacecraft for damage on its 25-day flight and for faulty systems on board.
NASA’s administrator Bill Nelson claims, "2022 will go down as one of the most accomplished years in all of NASA history.” Nelson is not just talking about Artemis 1. Many things have gone NASA’s way this year: they have gotten a microwave-sized spacecraft into lunar orbit, Completed the first planetary defense mission, Got the first images back from the James Webb Space Telescope, and tested out an inflatable heat shield.
The success of the missions this year could affect NASA’s future funding.