Artemis I was NASA's uncrewed flight test of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft — the first integrated test of the deep space exploration systems that would later carry astronauts to the Moon on Artemis II.

Launching from Kennedy Space Center on November 16, 2022, the SLS generated 8.8 million pounds of thrust — making it the most powerful rocket ever to successfully fly. The uncrewed Orion spacecraft traveled 1.3 million miles over 25.5 days, venturing 268,563 miles from Earth — farther than any spacecraft designed to carry humans had ever traveled, surpassing Apollo 13's record set in 1970.

Orion performed two lunar flybys at approximately 80 miles above the surface and spent six days in a distant retrograde orbit (DRO) — a highly stable orbit approximately 40,000 miles beyond the far side of the Moon. The mission tested Orion's heat shield at re-entry speeds of 25,000 mph (generating temperatures near 5,000°F), its navigation and communication systems in deep space, and the European Service Module's propulsion and power systems.

Orion splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off Baja California on December 11, 2022, and was recovered by the USS Portland. The mission was deemed a complete success, clearing the path for the crewed Artemis II mission that launched in April 2026.