The four astronauts assigned to NASA's Artemis 2 mission have officially named their Orion spacecraft "Integrity." The crew, set to be the first to travel around the moon in over 50 years, announced the name on September 24 during an event at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
This mission marks a significant step in the Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the lunar surface and eventually send them to Mars. The name reflects the core values the international crew believes are essential for the complex journey ahead.
Key Takeaways
- The Artemis 2 crew has named their Orion capsule "Integrity."
- The crew includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
- The mission will be a 10-day flight around the moon, the first crewed lunar voyage since Apollo 17 in 1972.
- The name was chosen to represent trust, respect, and the massive collaborative effort required for the mission.
The Selection of a Name
The tradition of astronauts naming their spacecraft is a long-standing practice in human spaceflight. For the Artemis 2 crew, the process was a deliberate and collaborative effort. The four primary astronauts, along with their backups Jenny Gibbons of the Canadian Space Agency and Andre Douglas of NASA, gathered to make the decision.
According to mission commander Reid Wiseman, the team dedicated significant time to find a name that captured the spirit of their mission. They reviewed the core values of both NASA and the Canadian Space Agency to guide their discussion.
"We got the four of us together and our backups... and we went over to the quarantine facility here," Wiseman explained. "We basically locked ourselves in there until we came up with a name."
Reflecting Core Values
The name "Integrity" was ultimately chosen because it embodies principles the crew and the wider mission team hold central. NASA officials stated the name represents the "foundation of trust, respect, candor and humility" necessary for success.
The choice also acknowledges the vast network of people and technology involved. The Orion spacecraft is composed of more than 300,000 individual components, all brought together by thousands of engineers, scientists, and technicians across the globe. The name is a tribute to this integrated international effort.
A Tradition in Spaceflight
Naming spacecraft is a cherished tradition allowing the first crew to fly a new vehicle to leave its mark. For example, the crew of the private Ax-4 mission named their SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule "Grace" before its first flight to the International Space Station.
The Artemis 2 Mission Profile
Artemis 2 is scheduled for a flight that will take its four-person crew on a journey around the moon and back to Earth. The mission is designed to test the Orion spacecraft's life-support systems and other critical capabilities with astronauts on board for the first time.
The launch is planned to take place from a window that opens on February 5 and closes on April 26 of next year. The astronauts will lift off aboard NASA's powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Mission by the Numbers
- Duration: Approximately 10 days
- Crew: 4 astronauts
- Destination: A free-return trajectory around the moon
- Significance: First crewed lunar mission since December 1972
A Test Flight for Future Exploration
While the mission will bring humans back to the lunar vicinity, it will not involve a landing or an orbit of the moon. Instead, Integrity will perform a lunar flyby, using the moon's gravity to propel it back toward Earth. This flight path will validate the spacecraft's performance and navigation systems for future, more complex missions.
The successful completion of Artemis 2 is a critical prerequisite for the next phase of the program. It will provide essential data and operational experience needed to proceed with Artemis 3.
Paving the Way for a Return to the Moon
The Artemis program represents NASA's modern effort to establish a long-term human presence on and around the moon. The program is structured as a series of increasingly ambitious missions.
Artemis 2 serves as the bridge between the uncrewed Artemis 1 test flight and the planned lunar landing of Artemis 3. If the program proceeds as planned, Artemis 3 will see astronauts, including the first woman, land near the moon's south pole in 2027.
Long-Term Goals of the Artemis Program
The ultimate objective of Artemis extends beyond simply returning to the moon. NASA and its international partners aim to build sustainable infrastructure, including a lunar base and the Gateway space station in lunar orbit.
These efforts are intended to create a permanent foothold in deep space. The lessons learned and technologies developed during the Artemis missions are seen as crucial stepping stones for the next great leap in human exploration: sending astronauts to Mars.
Commander Wiseman spoke about the mission's broader purpose, emphasizing its role in uniting people globally.
"So, we are bringing together the world," Wiseman said. "We are bringing together an amazing workforce, and they are bringing together an amazing vehicle. And at the end of all that, when you squeeze it all down, it created magic. So we're going to fly around the moon in the spacecraft Integrity."
The naming of the spacecraft is more than a formality; it is a declaration of the principles guiding humanity's return to deep space exploration.