To the Moon and Beyond
Artemis is NASA's program to return astronauts to the lunar surface.
The Space Launch System (SLS), which launches the Artemis missions, is the rocket designed for deep-space exploration and human travel beyond Earth’s orbit. L3Harris is the prime contractor for the RS-25 engines and provides critical avionics for the rocket’s booster, core and upper stage.
Orion is the spacecraft designed to carry humans to deep space. L3Harris provides propulsion systems used to propel and steer Orion, as well as composite overwrapped pressure vessels for the spacecraft’s life support and self-righting flotation system.
We've also been tapped to provide the NASA Orion audio system that will connect astronauts to each other, to mission control and to the world during the Artemis missions – as the Orion spacecraft carries them from Earth to lunar orbit and back.
Gateway is the lunar space station that will support the NASA-led Artemis missions to return humans to the Moon and serve as foundation for human missions to Mars. L3Harris provides the Advanced Electric Propulsion System thrusters for the power and propulsion element of Gateway.
ARTEMIS II MISSION INFORMATION
Scheduled for launch in early 2026, Artemis II marks NASA's first crewed mission using the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft. This mission will also be the first time humans return to the lunar vicinity in over 50 years. Four astronauts — Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen — will embark on a 10-day journey around the Moon.
The Artemis II crew from left are: Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist; Victor Glover, pilot; Reid Wiseman, commander; and Christina Hammock Koch, mission specialist. (Credit: NASA)
L3Harris has contributed more than 100 critical elements to the Artemis II mission. These contributions include propulsion systems that support every phase of flight, mission-critical avionics that control the launch vehicle, composite overwrapped pressure vessels that store gases for operating the vehicle and maintaining a breathable atmosphere for the crew, and the audio system that enables communication among the crew and with mission control.
For six decades, L3Harris has partnered with NASA to develop technology that's been critical to the evolution of human spaceflight. In fact, our technology has been part of every crewed NASA mission: from Project Mercury to Apollo, from the Space Shuttle era to the International Space Station (ISS) era and now beyond – as part of NASA’s Artemis missions.
Powerful Recovery Communications
The L3Harris RF-7850M-HH radio is a critical component for recovery communications, ensuring reliable UHF/VHF AM/FM voice connectivity during both nominal and off-nominal landing scenarios. One radio is integrated into the vehicle at the commander’s seat, with audio routed through the L3Harris Audio Control Unit, enabling the crew to maintain clear communication with recovery forces while remaining in their suits. A second radio is included in the crew survival kit, providing a vital lifeline for the crew in the event they must evacuate into the life raft, ensuring continuous communication in even the most challenging situations.
Image Credit: NASA/MSFC
L3Harris provides upper stage avionics. The Upper stage will propel Orion to the Moon.
See MoreDuring the first eight minutes of flight, the L3Harris booster and core avionics are hard at work.
See MoreL3Harris provides critical core stage avionics. The core stage houses the flight computer and the majority of avionics to control flight.
See MoreL3Harris provides the Jettison Motor for Orion’s Launch Abort System (LAS).
See MoreL3Harris provides 20 rocket engines aboard the Orion spacecraft that are used to propel and orient the spacecraft throughout each mission.
See MoreL3Harris is NASA’s prime contractor for the four RS-25 rocket engines that provide more than two million pounds of combined thrust to propel the rocket during the first eight minutes of flight.
See MoreL3Harris provides the RL10 rocket engine that provides 24,750 pounds of thrust to power the SLS’s Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage, as well as a suite of reaction control system thrusters.
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L3Harris' Advanced Electric Propulsion System development thruster for the AEPS program operated at full power during testing at NASA Glenn, August 2019.
Four RS-25 engines attached to the core Stage for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket for NASA’s Artemis I mission to the Moon. Image courtesy of NASA.
The jettison motor for Orion’s Launch Abort System successfully completed its second qualification test at Redstone Arsenal.
NASA's Artemis II Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft rolled to Launch Pad 39B on Jan. 17, 2026, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: L3Harris.
A bird’s-eye view of the Artemis I launch from Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: NASA
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft are just about to clear the tower at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center during the launch of Artemis I. Credit: NASA
An L3Harris RS-25 engine undergoes hot-fire testing at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. (Credit: NASA)
The engines on Orion’s service module are prominently featured in this image from flight day 22 of the Artemis I mission. The largest is the orbital maneuvering system engine, surrounded by eight smaller auxiliary thrusters. Credit: NASA
