DENVER — Colorado’s aerospace industry took center stage at the Capitol on Monday as companies from across the state highlighted their key role in NASA’s upcoming Artemis II mission.
Martin Frederick, corporate director for civil space programs with Northrop Grumman, recalled his memories of the first moon landing.
"My father set up his camera on a tripod in front of our rickety old black-and-white television. He made sure we were awake and there. He took pictures of the screen as Neil Armstrong set foot on the surface of another celestial body, just making history," said Frederick.
During the Artemis II mission, the second stage of NASA's program to return to the moon, a team of astronauts will be sent around Earth's natural satellite as a test flight. The Artemis IV mission eventually aims to accomplish a crewed lunar landing in 2028.
"It's an exciting time for our flight operations team. We will fly humans around the moon for the first time in over 50 years, sending them further than any humans since Apollo 13. This continues to pave the way for human exploration to the moon and beyond," said NASA's Flight Operations Director Norm Knight.
Frederick said Colorado's aerospace industry played a critical role in the program.
"With the work that's been done on the Orion crew vehicle and the SLS launch vehicle, and all of the systems that are in place to extend communications," said Frederick. "Probably the most significant thing you'll see in the Artemis II launch that is Northrop Grumman's are the two big solid rocket boosters on either side of the main core stage of the rocket. They're big rockets in and of themselves, 155 feet tall. They provide 75% of the thrust to get the astronauts off the ground and into deep space."
The company worked with contractors and talent across Colorado and the rest of the country. Even at times, collaborating with other aerospace giants.
"Amongst our companies, we'll call ourselves 'CompetiMates.' Sometimes we fight fiercely to get the contracts or the work that's coming. But once that's decided, it's all about the mission and about taking care of the astronauts. It's all about exploration, and we work together," said Frederick.
He hopes the same type of collaboration and unity is seen once the Artemis II launch happens and the astronauts head into space.
"We're going to be rooting for them as a country and as a world for 10 days, and nobody will rest until they're safely back on US soil and telling the tales of their journey to inspire the next generation," said Frederick.
He's hopeful the program as a whole will help inspire the next generation of space explorers.
"I believe that the whole space industry is going to grow dramatically over the next 5,10,15 years, Artemis being part of it, but also defending the country, defending our allies, and being able to use space for commercial purposes. That's all going to be inspired by Artemis II and accomplished by the next generation of students who are going to come into this field," he said.
