The Orion capsule for NASA's next moon landing is ready to rock
The next trip to the moon isn't supposed to happen until 2024, but NASA is now ready to put living humans on the surface.
On July 20, the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, NASA confirmed that work on the Orion crew vehicle is complete. The reusable capsule, designed to carry four to six astronauts, is meant to offer a "sustainable" option for carrying humans to other worlds, including the moon and, later, Mars.
NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine called the new development "an opportunity to take a giant leap forward for all of humanity." The Orion capsule is supposed to carry humans to the moon in 2024 as part of the larger Artemis program.
Orion's first trip to space is planned for 2020/2021, and it's to be an uncrewed test flight in which the module will spend 10 days in orbit around the moon before returning to Earth. The Artemis 2 mission is expected to follow in 2022, this time bringing live astronauts out into space for a moon flyby.
The 2024 mission will include an actual, crewed landing, with the module first visiting to to-be-built Lunar Orbital Platform - Gateway, a space station that's meant to remain in lunar orbit and serve as a staging ground for communications, scientific research, habitation, and exploration. NASA hopes that by 2028, humans will have a sustainable presence on the surface of the moon.
Also completed is Orion's European Service Module, which will power the capsule and propel it through space. The ESM is a contribution of the European Space Agency.
With the announcement of Orion's completion, all eyes are on the upcoming moon missions. But the capsule has a bigger future than that. Not only is it meant to eventually carry astronauts to Mars, it's also, according to NASA, the "backbone for [our] deep space exploration" in general.
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
