Working in Tandem: NASA’s Networks Empower Artemis I

NASA’s Artemis missions are returning humanity to the Moon and beginning a new era of lunar exploration. Soon, the agency plans to launch the Artemis I mission, an uncrewed flight test that will take a human-rated spacecraft farther than any before.

Although uncrewed, Artemis I will test essential systems for future crewed missions to the lunar region, including the first-ever launch of NASA’s most powerful rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS). The SLS rocket will launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, and enter a complex orbit to bring the Orion spacecraft to the Moon.

Throughout its journey, the Artemis I mission, including Orion and SLS, will receive comprehensive communications and navigation services from NASA’s two networks: the Near Space Network and the Deep Space Network.

These services are essential during launch, orbit, and re-entry – all phases of the mission. The video above details each network’s support and the collaboration needed between the two to get essential spacecraft and science data from the mission.