Luna to Supply Corrosion Sensors for NASA-Lockheed Orion Crewed Spacecraft

Lockheed Martin has selected Luna Innovations to provide sensors for monitoring the internal environment and external corrosion of the Orion spacecraft NASA will use to transport astronauts to deep-space destinations.

Orion will be equipped with Luna-built technologies to observe the crew module’s environmental stability during manned spaceflight and document signs of corrosion as the vehicle heads back to Earth, the company said Wednesday.

NASA aims launch an Artemis I uncrewed test flight in 2021 and the Artemis II crewed mission in 2023.

“Providing real-time, critical information relative to the safety and integrity of the module throughout the mission and the life of the capsule will be imperative to the overall success of the Artemis program and the safety of Orion astronauts,” said Scott Graeff, president and CEO of Luna.

Lockheed received a potential $4.6B contract in September of last year to build six Orion spacecraft for use in Artemis III to VIII missions.

Roanoke, Virginia-based Luna manufactures fiber optic-based testing and sensing tools for aerospace, telecommunications and automotive applications.