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    NASA · ESA · Flyby / Deep space

    Artemis I

    The uncrewed first integrated flight of SLS and Orion, which flew Orion into a distant retrograde orbit around the Moon over 25.5 days.

    CompletedUncrewed test flight completed with splashdown on 11 December 2022.

    Launch date

    2022-11-16

    Destination

    Moon (distant retrograde orbit)

    Mission end

    2022-12-11

    Objectives

    • Test SLS and Orion together before crewed flights
    • Demonstrate the Orion heat shield at lunar-return speeds
    • Deploy ten CubeSats

    Spacecraft

    Orion with the European Service Module; SLS Block 1

    Scientific instruments and systems

    • Mannequins with radiation sensors (Commander Moonikin Campos, Helga and Zohar)
    • Ten secondary CubeSats

    Timeline

    1. 2022-11-16Launch from LC-39B
    2. 2022-11-21Powered lunar flyby
    3. 2022-11-25Entered distant retrograde orbit
    4. 2022-12-11Splashdown in the Pacific

    Major achievements

    • Orion travelled about 432,000 km from Earth, a record for a spacecraft designed to carry humans at the time

    Status reviewed 2026-10-23. For official images and the latest updates, visit the agency pages listed under Sources.