Artemis I
Artemis I was the inaugural integrated test flight of NASA's Artemis program, launching the Space Launch System (SLS) super heavy-lift rocket and Orion spacecraft on November 16, 2022. Orion flew within 130 km of the lunar surface before entering a Distant Retrograde Orbit (DRO) around the Moon, traveling 432,210 km from Earth. The spacecraft successfully tested deep space navigation, communications, thermal systems, and survived a record 40,000 km/h skip atmospheric reentry on December 11, 2022.
Mission Imagery & Gallery
Primary Achievement
Uncrewed maiden test flight of Space Launch System and Orion; set record for farthest distance from Earth by a human-rated spacecraft (432,210 km).
Mission Objectives
- Demonstrate SLS launch vehicle performance and translunar injection accuracy
- Validate Orion heat shield integrity and aerodynamic skip reentry at lunar return velocity (Mach 32)
- Operate Orion systems in deep space Distant Retrograde Orbit and deploy 10 CubeSat payloads
Timeline Events
- 2022-11-16 — Launched from Kennedy Space Center LC-39B atop the SLS rocket at 06:47 UTC.
- 2022-11-21 — Completed close lunar flyby (130 km altitude) to enter distant retrograde orbit.
- 2022-11-28 — Reached maximum distance from Earth: 432,210 km, breaking Apollo 13 record.
- 2022-12-11 — Successfully executed skip atmospheric reentry and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off Baja California.
Related Missions
- Apollo 8 (1968) · NASA
- Artemis II (2025) · NASA
- Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) (2009) · NASA
Historical & Technical Sources
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