NASA has announced a search for volunteers to participate in monitoring the Orion spacecraft of the Artemis II mission during the crew's lunar expedition and return to Earth.
“By expanding access to this initiative to the aerospace industry, we may find additional monitoring resources outside the government sector,” said Kevin Coggins, NASA's deputy program manager for SCaN at its Washington headquarters.
The Artemis program to send astronauts to the moon is aimed at conducting scientific research, achieving economic benefits and preparing a base for future manned expeditions to Mars, the agency said.
The Artemis II test launch will involve the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, scheduled to launch no later than April 2026.
NASA astronauts Reed Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Canadian colleague Jeremy Hansen, will make a ten-day flyby of the Moon.
Coggins emphasized that the information collected will help “define a strategy for transitioning to commercial solutions, strengthening the technology base for the implementation of Artemis missions and long-term plans for Mars expeditions.”
The agency clarified that the idea of involving the public arose after analyzing proposals received within the framework of NASA's space communications and navigation program.
According to the organization, in 2022, a group of 10 volunteers effectively monitored the Orion unmanned spacecraft during its lunar orbital mission and return to Earth.
The call for volunteers comes after the final hardware module for the Artemis II Orion mission was completed this month.
Applications for participation are due Monday, October 27 at 5:00 PM ET.
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