NASA Selects 34 Global Volunteers to Track Orion Spacecraft During Artemis II Mission
The US space agency has selected 34 global volunteers to track the Orion spacecraft during its journey around the Moon. This group, comprising established commercial service providers, members of academia, and individual amateur radio enthusiasts, will use their respective equipment to passively track radio waves transmitted by Orion.
The mission, which is part of NASA's Artemis campaign, aims to establish a long-term presence at the Moon and confirm the systems needed to support future lunar surface exploration. The tracking opportunity also serves as a test for the agency's commercial-first vision for its Space Communication and Navigation (SCaN) program.
Kevin Coggins, deputy associate administrator for SCaN at NASA Headquarters in Washington, emphasized the importance of this collaboration. "This isn’t about tracking one mission, but about building a resilient, public-private ecosystem that will support the Golden Age of innovation and exploration."
The volunteers selected from over 100 applicants come from a range of backgrounds, with institutions such as American University, the University of California Berkeley, and the University of New Brunswick among them. Several notable organizations also participated in this initiative, including the Canadian Space Agency, the German Aerospace Center, and ViaSat.
The tracking data submitted by these volunteers will help NASA better assess the broader aerospace community's tracking capabilities and identify ways to augment future mission support. This effort builds on a previous experience with tracking the Orion spacecraft during Artemis I in 2022, which produced valuable data and lessons learned.
In contrast to the previous opportunity, this one saw an increase in public interest, with about 47 ground assets spanning 14 different countries being used to track the spacecraft during its journey around the Moon. The networks supporting the mission receive programmatic oversight from NASA's SCaN Program office, which develops technologies and capabilities that will help propel the agency to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
As part of this initiative, participants will submit their data to NASA for analysis without any funds exchanged between parties. This public-private collaboration aims to strengthen the marketplace and support future missions, including those aimed at establishing a human settlement on the lunar surface and sending astronauts to Mars.
The US space agency has selected 34 global volunteers to track the Orion spacecraft during its journey around the Moon. This group, comprising established commercial service providers, members of academia, and individual amateur radio enthusiasts, will use their respective equipment to passively track radio waves transmitted by Orion.
The mission, which is part of NASA's Artemis campaign, aims to establish a long-term presence at the Moon and confirm the systems needed to support future lunar surface exploration. The tracking opportunity also serves as a test for the agency's commercial-first vision for its Space Communication and Navigation (SCaN) program.
Kevin Coggins, deputy associate administrator for SCaN at NASA Headquarters in Washington, emphasized the importance of this collaboration. "This isn’t about tracking one mission, but about building a resilient, public-private ecosystem that will support the Golden Age of innovation and exploration."
The volunteers selected from over 100 applicants come from a range of backgrounds, with institutions such as American University, the University of California Berkeley, and the University of New Brunswick among them. Several notable organizations also participated in this initiative, including the Canadian Space Agency, the German Aerospace Center, and ViaSat.
The tracking data submitted by these volunteers will help NASA better assess the broader aerospace community's tracking capabilities and identify ways to augment future mission support. This effort builds on a previous experience with tracking the Orion spacecraft during Artemis I in 2022, which produced valuable data and lessons learned.
In contrast to the previous opportunity, this one saw an increase in public interest, with about 47 ground assets spanning 14 different countries being used to track the spacecraft during its journey around the Moon. The networks supporting the mission receive programmatic oversight from NASA's SCaN Program office, which develops technologies and capabilities that will help propel the agency to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
As part of this initiative, participants will submit their data to NASA for analysis without any funds exchanged between parties. This public-private collaboration aims to strengthen the marketplace and support future missions, including those aimed at establishing a human settlement on the lunar surface and sending astronauts to Mars.
I'm so stoked about these 34 global volunteers getting to track the Orion spacecraft during Artemis II mission! It's amazing to see how NASA is opening up its space communication and navigation program to the public, encouraging innovation and collaboration between academia, industry, and individual enthusiasts alike 
. The fact that they're using a range of equipment from different backgrounds is really cool – it shows how diverse and global this effort can be 
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. It's like we're all in this together, working towards a common goal of pushing humanity to new heights 
. And who knows, maybe one day we'll see some amazing breakthroughs come out of this collaboration 
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I'm literally SO stoked about this! NASA is doing it again and it's all about collaboration 
with people from all over the world! Can you even imagine how cool it'll be to track the Orion spacecraft during the Artemis II mission? 
! And the fact that they're using public assets all around the world is just mind blown 
. I'm rooting for NASA all the way, especially with this amazing group of volunteers who are going to make a huge impact 
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34 global volunteers getting to help track Orion spacecraft is awesome. It's so cool that they're from all these different backgrounds too. I mean, the University of New Brunswick being part of it? That's just amazing. 
! The fact that participants don't get paid for their work is a great sign that NASA values collaboration over financial gain.
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. It's awesome that NASA is inviting global volunteers to help track the Orion spacecraft during its Artemis II mission. I mean, who wouldn't wanna be part of something so cool? The fact that they're getting people from all over the world involved is a great way to build a community and make this mission more inclusive 
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this shows that there's some serious brainpower behind this project
that's some serious public-private magic right there
they got 34 ppl from all over the world joinin the party to track that orion spacecraft around the moon 
and its not just about trackin the mission, its about gettin the whole community involved and makin it happen 
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I'm curious to see how this initiative will shape NASA's SCaN program and what kind of breakthroughs we can expect from it. The fact that there were over 100 applicants is mind-blowing - talk about a global community coming together! 
, where everyone gets to contribute their skills and expertise. And the best part is, it's not just NASA doing this, there are institutions from all over the world involved, including Canadian Space Agency 
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i mean, 34 people and only 2 years ago they had like 47 ground assets covering 14 countries. what changed? 
wow 34 volunteers from all over the world joining forces with NASA to track Orion spacecraft 
lets hope it works out and we get to see more amazing tech and innovation in space exploration 
i think its so cool that nasa is working with ppl from all around the world to track their spacecraft 
!! like, its not just about the tech or the money, its about buildin a community of innovators who can help us get back to space 
& that ppl from american university, cali & canada are all part of it 
. The fact that they're working with volunteers from different backgrounds and countries shows that they value collaboration and public participation 
. I'm excited to see what kind of insights they'll get from this project and how it will help them prepare for future missions 
, meaning companies and universities and governments are all working together to make this happen. It's cool that NASA's pushing for a 'resilient, public-private ecosystem' 
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! But here's the thing: success isn't just about who gets selected but also how everyone contributes to the bigger picture 