The Artemis II flight marked a historic milestone for humanity's return to the Moon, and showcased Lockheed Martin's innovative spirit in re-imagining how we travel beyond Earth. Now that NASA's courageous astronauts have safely splashed down and returned home from a historic mission around the Moon, the focus shifts to the next wave of Orion spacecrafts and the sustainment effort required to keep them flying safely.

Space missions are unforgiving. They need advanced test systems built on the most rigorous and comprehensive tech in the solar system. Thankfully, the Lockheed Martin Enterprise Logistics and Test Solutions (ELTS) team in Orlando, Florida has the specialized test equipment (STE) to keep Orion flight-ready.

A Legacy of Test Excellence

Lockheed Martin's ELTS team has a 40+ year legacy of developing, producing and delivering test solutions and supporting programs across every domain. With experience developing and supporting products such as LM-STAR®, LM-CORE™, eCASS and portable test equipment, the test team can produce common and custom STE for a variety of programs - including Orion spacecraft.

Six Orion spacecraft are currently on order, with an option for six more, each demanding thorough verification to guarantee crew-life safety. The test team is engineering 12 distinct EGSE testers that will service the upcoming Orion fleet, including:

• Ground Power Unit - provides realistic power conditions for on-ground spacecraft tests.
  
  
• GPS Simulator Unit - injects live-sky GPS signals to validate navigation and timing functions.
  
  
• Sun-Sensor Test Set - emulates the vehicle's coarse sun-sensor array for attitude-control verification.

The entire suite will be manufactured and delivered within six months, ensuring all equipment is in place by the end of 2026.

Reaching Beyond the Moon

Beyond Orion, the Lockheed Martin ELTS team already supports more than 240 LM-STAR® and LM-CORE™ testers in the field and continues expanding its footprint to support platforms across domains. They now provide test solutions for the MK-21A re-entry vehicle and Fleet Ballistic Missile and are scaling LM-CORE production to meet the growing demand of the PAC-3 missile program.

With Lockheed Martin's expertise, Orion's next series of spacecrafts - and the people aboard them - will receive the reliable, high-quality testing they deserve, keeping the path to the Moon both safe and sustainable.