NASA has chosen 34 global volunteers to track the Orion spacecraft during its journey around the Moon as part of the Artemis II mission. These individuals, ranging from commercial service providers to amateur radio enthusiasts and academics, will use their equipment to passively track radio waves transmitted by the Orion spacecraft over a period of approximately 10 days.
This collaborative effort aims to strengthen NASA's public-private ecosystem and demonstrate capabilities for future space missions. The agency is utilizing an open approach to foster innovation and exploration. By leveraging external expertise and resources, NASA can refine its systems and ultimately achieve long-term lunar presence and further deep space endeavors.
As part of this tracking initiative, 47 ground assets from 14 countries will be employed to monitor the spacecraft's journey around the Moon. This represents a notable increase in public interest compared to previous efforts, where only 10 volunteers successfully tracked the Orion spacecraft during Artemis I in 2022.
The selected participants will submit their data to NASA for analysis and evaluation. To address lessons learned from the previous campaign, the agency now requires tracking data compliance with its data system standards.
Artemis II is designed to test the systems necessary for human exploration of the lunar surface, paving the way for economic benefits and scientific discovery in the coming years. The mission will be supported by NASA's SCaN Program office, which also oversees programmatic oversight and develops critical technologies for future space endeavors.
The initiative showcases NASA's commitment to collaboration and innovation, as it fosters a resilient public-private ecosystem that drives exploration and innovation.
This collaborative effort aims to strengthen NASA's public-private ecosystem and demonstrate capabilities for future space missions. The agency is utilizing an open approach to foster innovation and exploration. By leveraging external expertise and resources, NASA can refine its systems and ultimately achieve long-term lunar presence and further deep space endeavors.
As part of this tracking initiative, 47 ground assets from 14 countries will be employed to monitor the spacecraft's journey around the Moon. This represents a notable increase in public interest compared to previous efforts, where only 10 volunteers successfully tracked the Orion spacecraft during Artemis I in 2022.
The selected participants will submit their data to NASA for analysis and evaluation. To address lessons learned from the previous campaign, the agency now requires tracking data compliance with its data system standards.
Artemis II is designed to test the systems necessary for human exploration of the lunar surface, paving the way for economic benefits and scientific discovery in the coming years. The mission will be supported by NASA's SCaN Program office, which also oversees programmatic oversight and develops critical technologies for future space endeavors.
The initiative showcases NASA's commitment to collaboration and innovation, as it fosters a resilient public-private ecosystem that drives exploration and innovation.