NASA has introduced the new Orion Mission Evaluation Room to support real-time engineering operations for Artemis II at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. The team operated the facility during an integrated mission simulation on Aug. 19, 2025, rehearsing procedures and toolchains ahead of the first crewed Orion flight to lunar distance. The agency published an image and overview of the room and simulation activities, available via this NASA image article.
What the Orion MER Does
The Orion Mission Evaluation Room (MER) is an engineering backroom within the Mission Control Center that focuses on in-depth systems analysis and rapid problem-solving while the flight control team manages the timeline and commanding. During Artemis II’s lunar flyby mission, MER engineers are expected to monitor spacecraft health, assess off-nominal signatures, and provide data-driven recommendations in coordination with flight controllers.
- Continuous monitoring of propulsion, power, thermal control, avionics, communications, guidance, navigation, and life support telemetry
- Trend analysis and fault isolation using high-rate data and predictive modeling
- Rapid development of test plans and workarounds for anomalies
- Verification of procedures, constraints, and flight rules against evolving mission conditions
- Generation of engineering data products and rationale to support real-time decisions
Integration with Mission Control
The new MER space is built into the Mission Control Center complex at JSC, providing direct interfaces to the Flight Control Room and subsystem console teams. The layout and tools are designed to streamline handoffs between tactical troubleshooting and strategic mission evaluation, ensuring that engineering inputs reach flight operators with minimal latency. This integration supports round-the-clock operations during critical events such as translunar injection, outbound/inbound trajectory correction maneuvers, and entry, descent, and splashdown.
Readiness Activities Ahead of Artemis II
The Aug. 19 simulation exercised core MER functions: multi-discipline coordination, telemetry processing, anomaly drills, and communications protocols with flight controllers. Such rehearsals are intended to validate software toolsets, data pathways, and staffing models under time pressure. They also refine procedures for cross-discipline reviews when subsystem interactions require rapid, integrated assessments.
Artemis II Context
Artemis II is planned as the first crewed flight of Orion, targeting a lunar flyby to demonstrate deep-space operations, life support performance, and mission communications. Lessons from MER operations on Artemis II are expected to inform future crewed missions, including lander-integrated flights. The Artemis program’s objectives include returning crews to the lunar surface and advancing capabilities needed for eventual human missions to Mars.
What to Watch Next
Upcoming milestones typically include additional integrated simulations, network and communication readiness tests, and mission readiness reviews. As these activities progress, the Orion MER will continue to refine procedures, data analytics, and team coordination to support real-time decision-making during Artemis II.
