The Orion spacecraft Structural Test Article (STA) completed its cross-country road trip Tuesday to NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia in preparation for a series of water impact tests at the center’s Landing and Impact Research Facility, or gantry.a
The tests, scheduled for early 2021, will look similar to previous tests. This time, however, the crew module is more flight-like in its configuration with several structural updates and modifications based on data from wind tunnel tests and Exploration Flight Test-1.
Data from the upcoming drop tests will be used for final computer modeling for loads and structures prior to the Artemis II flight test, NASA’s first mission with crew. Artemis II will carry astronauts around the Moon and back, and will pave the way to land the first woman and next man on the lunar surface during Artemis III.