ARTEMIS II LAUNCH — A MAJOR MILESTONE IN HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT
First crewed Artemis mission returns humans to lunar orbit for the first time since 1972
NASA’s Artemis II mission is scheduled to launch on April 1 at 6:24 PM, marking the first crewed flight of the Artemis program. The mission will send four astronauts on an approximately 10-day journey around the Moon and back to Earth, launching from Kennedy Space Center. This historic flight will be the first time humans travel to the lunar vicinity since Apollo 17 in 1972. Following the mission, the crew is expected to splash down off the coast of San Diego. You can learn more about the mission directly from NASA here: https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-ii/
Southern California’s Role in Artemis II
California plays a leading role in the Artemis program, with more than 16,000 employees across over 500 companies contributing to the mission. Southern California, in particular, is home to a number of key aerospace companies and specialized contractors supporting Artemis II.
Prime Contractors with Southern California Facilities
- Aerojet Rocketdyne - The Canoga Park facility leads development of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket engines, including upgrades and testing of the RS-25 engines powering the mission.
- Northrop Grumman - With a strong presence in Redondo Beach, El Segundo, and Manhattan Beach, these teams contribute critical engineering and components for the Orion launch abort system.
- Lockheed Martin - Teams in San Diego support recovery operations at sea following splashdown off the California coast.
- Boeing - Facilities in Huntington Beach and El Segundo contribute to SLS and Orion engineering efforts.
Regional Specialized Contractors
- AMRO Fabricating Corp – Large, complex metallic structures for SLS and Orion
- Karman Space & Defense – Key mission hardware components
- Applied Composites – Advanced composite materials
- Advanced Test Equipment Corp – Mission-critical testing hardware
- Rayotek Scientific – Specialized glass and high-pressure viewing systems
NASA Centers Supporting the Mission
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory – Deep space communication and navigation
- NASA Dryden Flight Research Center – Aircraft-based tracking of Orion during reentry
Artemis II represents a major step forward in returning humans to deep space, and highlights the depth of innovation and collaboration across the aerospace community, particularly here in Southern California.
IMAGE CREDIT
NASA/Bill Ingalls
