GREEN BANK W.Va. (WVDN) – The National Science Foundation’s Green Bank Telescope (NSF GBT) supported NASA’s Artemis II mission by helping to track the crewed Orion spacecraft throughout its historic journey around the Moon.
As part of NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program, the NSF GBT supported Artemis II tracking and communications, adding extra sensitivity and coverage to the networks that keep astronauts connected with Earth. Using its 100-meter collecting area and highly sensitive receivers, the NSF GBT conducted radar observations of Orion as it traveled beyond low Earth orbit, contributing precise tracking data that supported the mission’s safety and navigation. The GBT provided support for the Artemis II mission for five days of the roughly 10-day test flight, observing Orion for six hours each day while the crew was closest to the Moon.
Artemis II was the first crewed flight test of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft, sending four astronauts on a lunar flyby, testing life-support, communications, and other critical systems in deep space. This is the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since 1972’s Apollo 17, and the first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years.
“These joint observations with the GBT give NASA a unique view of the Artemis II mission,” shared Will Armentrout, a scientist with the NSF GBO, who helps coordinate GBT operations for this project before the mission.
All other observations of the mission around the world were passive, with telescopes picking up the signals that Orion emitted from its onboard antennas. The GBT performed active observations, using radar, with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. A NASA Deep Space Network (DSN) antenna in California beamed radio energy toward the Orion spacecraft, and the GBT picked up the extremely faint reflection of the energy off the Orion spacecraft.
“Radar lets us pinpoint the trajectory of the spacecraft without relying on its onboard communication antennas,” explained Armentrout. “Performing radar observations at the distance of the Moon requires powerful transmitters and really, really big radio telescopes, like the GBT, so this partnership lets us spotlight some of the very best space support capabilities that the U.S. has to offer. We’re honored to work with NASA on the first crewed Moon mission in decades and look forward to even more collaboration as launch cadence increases!”
By partnering with SCaN, the NSF GBT continues its legacy of enabling groundbreaking space exploration—from studying distant galaxies to helping guide humanity’s return to the Moon. Most recently, the NSF GBT provided radar observations for NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test, the world’s first “planetary protection” mission. Conversations are currently underway to provide ongoing support to NASA’s DSN. This collaboration underscores the importance of combining national research facilities with NASA’s spaceflight infrastructure and demonstrating how ground-based radio astronomy assets can directly support human exploration beyond Earth orbit.
When asked whether interest in the Green Bank Observatory had risen since aiding in the NASA mission, Jill Malusky, NRAO and GBO News and Public Information Manager, said, “We’ve definitely had more interest from the press – I’m sure we’ll have more attendance this summer because of the additional exposure and interest!”
About GBO & NRAO
The Green Bank Observatory is a part of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), a major facility of the U.S. National Science Foundation, operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.
