NASA develops new propulsion strategy for Orion lunar missions

NASA is working to enable the Orion spacecraft to reach low-lunar orbit, addressing a long-standing limitation of its Service Module. Previously, Orion lacked the delta-V capability to travel from Earth to a low-lunar orbit and return for a Pacific Ocean splashdown, necessitating workarounds like the Lunar Gateway in a higher orbit.

To resolve this, NASA is collaborating with United Launch Alliance to develop an “extended” version of the Centaur V upper stage. When used with the Space Launch System core stage, this hardware would allow Orion to reach orbits just a few hundred kilometers above the Moon.

According to Jeremy Parsons, NASA’s Artemis Program manager, operating in a lower orbit would significantly reduce the propellant required by lunar landers, such as Blue Origin’s Blue Moon, to transport astronauts to and from the lunar surface. This reduction in propellant mass could be reallocated to other vehicle functions and would provide astronauts with faster escape opportunities from the lunar surface if necessary.