NASA Artemis II Launch Update and News - Elon Musk Podcast - Elon Musk Podcast

Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Before NASA astronauts set foot near the moon again, the Artemis
2 mission has to prove life support, comms and a very, very
tricky re entry tweak. NASA has reached a major
hardware milestone with the Artemis 2 mission as the Orion
spacecraft named Integrity was stacked atop the Space Launch

(00:20):
System rocket on October 21st, 2025, marking the completion of
the full vehicle assembly. Now the mission is targeting a
launch no earlier then February 5th, 2026, with launch windows
extending through April 26 of 2026, representing A2 month
acceleration from the previous April.

(00:41):
Only target now. If the February window is
achieved, it will be a nighttimelaunch, and nighttime launches
are spectacular now. The rocket assembly reached
completion after an intensive stacking process that began back
in November 2024 at the core stage featuring 4R 25 engines
was integrated with two solid rocket boosters in March 2025.

(01:05):
Following that, the interim cryogenic propulsion stage
arrived at Kennedy Space Center on April 15th and was mated to
the stack on May 1st. Now the final major piece, the
Orion stage adapter built entirely by NASA engineers at
Marshall Space Center, was integrated on September 30th of

(01:25):
2025. Now this ring shaped adapter
connects the rocket's upper stage to the Orion spacecraft
and houses 412 U cube sats from international partners including
South Korea, Germany, Argentina and Saudi Arabia, which will
deploy into high Earth orbit after Orion separates the Orion

(01:46):
spacecraft. Integrity arrived at the Vehicle
Assembly Building on October 16th, traveling from the Launch
Abort System facility where it received its 44 foot tall abort
system. Lockheed Martin completely
needed the spacecraft's development and transferred
position to NASA's Exploration Ground Systems team on May 1st

(02:07):
of 2025 after an extensive assembly and testing.
Now an unexpected hardware issuerequired NASA to replace one of
the core stages RS25 engines. A hydraulic leak was discovered
in the main oxidizer valve actuator of engine E2063A,
relatively new engine to severalin 2015 that had never flown.

(02:29):
Now, NASA swapped it with E2O61,an older engine that flew on
Space Shuttle missions STS 1:30 and STS 134, and was originally
assigned to Armis 3. Now, the engine replacement
completed by the end of April 2025, marked the 1st RS25 swap
in the SLS program and was performed with the core stage in

(02:49):
vertical position, a technique previously used during the Space
Shuttle era. And despite the swap, the
mission timeline remain unaffected.
All four RS25 engines successfully completed checkout
tests as part of the Space Launch System Program specific
Engineering test series back in June of 2025, with engineers

(03:11):
verifying seamless communicationbetween engine controllers and
also the vehicle, as well as confirming the engines could
gimbal as required during flight.
The Artemis 2 Orion has significant upgrades from the
uncrewed Arnabus One test flight.
New systems include life supportcapabilities, air water, thermal

(03:33):
control, waste management and displays and controls, audio
communications, an exercise machine and a fully functional
launch abort system. Now the spacecraft also features
docking sensors and experimentallaser communication system to
enable high data rate communications for future
missions. The European Service Module,

(03:54):
provided by the European Space Agency and build by Airbus,
serves as Orion's powerhouse, supplying propulsion electronic
power generated by 15,000 solar cells on 4 solar array wings,
thermal control and life supportcommodities including water and
breathable oxygen. ECM 2 performed exceptionally

(04:16):
during testing and is ready to support the crew during their
journey. One of the most critical issues
addressed was the heat shield performance observed during
Artemis 1 and during that re entry, more material than
expected charred away from the ablative shield, with chunks of
material liberating from the surface.

(04:37):
Now NASA's investigation determined the root cause.
Gases produced during ablation became trapped within the heat
shield material rather than permeating through it, causing
internal pressure buildup that led to cracking and material
loss. Rather than replacing the
already installed Artemis 2 heatshield, which would have caused

(04:59):
years of delays, NASA opted to fly the mission with a modified
re entry trajectory. The new profile reduces the skip
dwell time during re entry, which lowers heat accumulation
and gas generation to levels where internal pressure won't
crack the shield. NASA has validated this approach
through extensive testing and arc jet facilities at Eames

(05:22):
Research Center. Now for Artemis 3 and beyond,
the heat shield manufacturing process will be modified to make
the AV coat more permeable. The environmental control and
life support system is one of the most critical new additions
for Artemis 2, as will be the first full test with crew
aboard. The system includes carbon

(05:44):
dioxide removal, humidity control, temperature regulation,
and ventilation to maintain a habitable environment for the
four astronauts during their 10 day mission.
Now, NASA encountered and resolved several ECLS issues
during development, including problems with control valves for
the carbon dioxide removal system and sealing material on

(06:07):
valves causing overboard leakage.
Both issues have been fixed, andNASA continues testing the ECLSS
through multiple failure scenarios to ensure reliability.
Now, the mission profile specifically includes A checkup
period in high Earth orbit before committing to the
translunar injection burn, allowing the crew to verify

(06:29):
ECLSS performance and abort if necessary before heading to the
Moon. And the crew has been engaged in
extensive training throughout 2025, practicing multiple
scenarios including time launch operations, emergency egress
procedures, and suited crew tests.
In August, the crew practice night launch scenarios at

(06:51):
Kennedy Space Center, simulatingsuiting up, driving to the
launchpad, and emergency evacuation procedures.
They also completed emergency egress system demonstrations
inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, practicing with
emergency egress baskets that would be used during a real
emergency. The astronauts performed suited
crew tests on July 31st, 2025 and bring the Orion spacecraft

(07:15):
together for the first time while wearing their Orion Crew
Survival System space suits, testing all equipment interfaces
they will operate during the mission.
Now training also includes practicing observing and
photographing the Moon from mockup Orion capsules, learning how
celestial objects will appear through Orion's windows as

(07:37):
backup to the advanced navigation systems.
MS-2 will be an approximate 10 day test flight following a free
return trajectory, meaning that once the trans lunar injection
burn occurs, physics and the gravitational interactions
between Earth and the Moon will naturally bring the crew home
even if propulsion systems fail.Similar to Apollo 8 and Apollo

(08:01):
13, however, the spacecraft willmake slight trajectory
corrections as needed. After launching from Kennedy
Space Center's Launch Complex 39B, the SLS is rocket twin solid
rocket boosters will provide approximately 75% of the
vehicle's £8.8 million of thrustat liftoff, with the 4RS25

(08:21):
engines providing the remaining 25%.
Following booster separation andmain engine cutoff, Orion will
perform an apogee raised maneuver in a perigee raised
barn, reaching a high Earth orbit approximately 70,000
kilometers at its highest point.During this checkout phase, the
crew will test life support, displays, controls and other

(08:43):
critical spacecraft functions, and if all systems perform
nominally, Mission Control will authorize the Trans Lunar
Injection burn on Day 2. The crew will then conduct A
proximity operations demonstration with the spent
upper stage practicing rendezvous and station keeping
maneuvers critical for future Artemis 3 operations.

(09:05):
When the crew will dock with thelunar Lander, the mission will
take the astronauts more than 5000 nautical miles,
Approximately 5523 miles, or 8889 kilometers, be on the
Moon's surface, the farthest humans will have travelled from
Earth since Apollo 13. Now, the crew will not enter
lunar orbit or land, but will complete a flyby of the Moon's

(09:28):
far side before the free return trajectory brings them back to
Earth. Following the completion of
vehicle stacking, NASA will conduct integrated testing in
the Vehicle Assembly Building, including a countdown
demonstration test with the crew.
Now, Charlie Blackwell Thompson,the Artemis launch director,

(09:48):
indicated the fully assembled vehicle is targeted to roll out
to Launch Complex 39 B by the end of calendar year 2025.
At the launchpad, teams will connect the rocket and the
spacecraft to ground support systems.
After approximately 2 weeks of preparations that will conduct a
critical wet dress rehearsal, which is a full scale launch

(10:10):
simulation. Where the SLS will be fully
loaded with liquid hydrogen and oxygen propellants and the
countdown will proceed to T -, 29 seconds before being
terminated. The fuel will then be drained
and the vehicle prepared for itsactual launch.
Unlike Artemis One, if the wet dress rehearsal is successful,
NASA does not plan to roll the vehicle back to the Vehicle

(10:34):
Assembly Building unless a majorissue arises that cannot be
resolved at the pad. Instead, the we'll use a new
temporary platform to install the batteries that power the
flight termination system directly on the pad.
NASA has identified launch windows of approximately 4 to 8
days per month from February through April 2020 sixth, with

(10:56):
the earliest opportunity on February 5th and the latest on
April 26th. The specific dates within each
month are still being finalized as teams work to nail down the
exact daily opportunities. The acceleration of the schedule
from the previous April target to potentially February reflects
NASA's efforts to capitalize on efficiencies in operations while

(11:18):
maintaining crew safety as the top priority.
Despite ongoing concerns about Spacex's Starship human landing
system scheduled for Artemis 3 and recent announcements by
acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy about potentially
reopening the lunar Lander contract to additional
competitors, the Artemis 2 mission remains on track.

(11:39):
The completion of the Ruckus deck in the progress toward
integrated testing shows that NASA's commitment to returning
humans to deep space explorationis real.
We are going back to the moon, we're going to build a base
there and it is going to propel us to Mars.

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NASA Artemis II Launch Update and News - Elon Musk Podcast

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