MISSION COMPLETE
ARTEMIS I
The Uncrewed Test Flight
25 days around the Moon and back. No crew aboard — just a mannequin named Moonikin Campos and a lot of sensors. The flight that was supposed to prove Orion works.
LAUNCH
Nov 16, 2022
01:47 EST, LC-39B
SPLASHDOWN
Dec 11, 2022
Pacific Ocean
DURATION
25 days 10h 53m
Longest Orion flight
DISTANCE
1.4 million mi
2.25 million km total
MAX FROM EARTH
268,563 mi
Farthest any human-rated spacecraft
LUNAR FLYBY
80 mi
130 km closest approach
RE-ENTRY SPEED
24,500 mph
39,400 km/h — Mach 32
CREW
Uncrewed
Commander Moonikin Campos (mannequin)
MISSION TIMELINE
🚀Nov 16, 2022
Launch
SLS Block 1 lifts off from Kennedy Space Center LC-39B after multiple scrubs
🔥Nov 16
ICPS trans-lunar injection burn
Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage fires to send Orion toward the Moon
🌑Nov 21
Outbound lunar flyby
Orion flies 130 km above the lunar surface on the far side
🔄Nov 25
Distant retrograde orbit insertion
Orion enters a stable orbit ~70,000 km beyond the Moon
⬅️Dec 1
DRO departure burn
Orion leaves distant retrograde orbit to begin return journey
🌑Dec 5
Return lunar flyby
Second close pass of the Moon — gravity assist toward Earth
🌊Dec 11
Re-entry and splashdown
Skip entry into atmosphere at Mach 32, parachute deploy, Pacific splashdown
WHAT THEY SAID IT PROVED
✓Orion heat shield survived re-entry at 5,000°F (2,760°C) — half the temperature of the Sun's surface
✓European Service Module performed all planned burns — first ESA propulsion module for human-rated spacecraft
✓Orion traveled farther from Earth than any spacecraft designed for humans — surpassing Apollo 13's record by ~24,000 miles
✓Tested communication and navigation systems at lunar distance — 1.3 second signal delay each way
✓Deployed 10 CubeSats for secondary science missions during trans-lunar injection
✓Heat shield performed a skip re-entry — bouncing off the atmosphere once before final descent, a first for a human-rated capsule
NASA Artemis I Overview
nasa.gov →
Artemis I Photo Gallery
nasa.gov →
Artemis I Press Kit
nasa.gov →
European Service Module
nasa.gov →
COMPLETE
Artemis II — Crewed Lunar FlybyApril 2026→
UPCOMING
Artemis III — Crewed Lunar LandingNET 2028→
ARTEMIS TRACKER — NIXFRED.TECH