Nasa installs three fairing panels into Orion’s European Service Module

Space agency Nasa has completed fitting three spacecraft adapter jettison fairing panels into Orion’s European Service Module inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at its Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, US.

The installation of fairing panels came after teams from across the world recently completed the installation of four solar array wings.

Measuring 14ft-high and 13ft-wide each, the fairing panels were inspected and moved into place for installation by technicians and Orion’s lead contractor Lockheed Martin.

The jettison panels will separate from the service module using a series of timed pyrotechnics, or firings, enabling solar array wings to unfurl and provide energy, which will propel and power the spacecraft during the mission.

Following this, the spacecraft will undergo final assembly activities, including the installation of the forward bay cover, which protects the upper part of Orion, including its parachutes, throughout its mission.

The team will also perform final adjustments of the main parachutes, securing and testing of electrical connections, as well as the closure and latching of the side hatch.

Nasa in a statement said: “As each area of the vehicle is closed out, it will undergo final inspections to complete production. The spacecraft will then begin its path to the pad, including stops along the way to be fuelled and integrated with its launch abort system and, ultimately, the SLS rocket for launch from Launch Pad 39B.”

Prior to launch, Artemis I will test the Orion spacecraft and SLS rocket as an integrated system.

Nasa aims to land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024 under the Artemis programme.

Last month, Lockheed Martin contracted aerospace and defence technology company Northrop Grumman to provide additional components for the Orion human spaceflight capsule’s launch abort system (LAS).