EDMONDS, Wash. — U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell praised the successful launch of the Artemis II mission Wednesday, emphasizing Washington state’s contribution to the lunar exploration program.
“The world will be watching in awe as the Artemis II crew pushes the limits of what humanity can do by traveling around the moon,” Cantwell said. “Washington state’s space industry is making it happen – from the thrusters that will guide the Orion spacecraft to and around the moon, to the parachute deployment systems that will return the astronauts safely to Earth.”
The mission marks NASA’s first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years, sending four astronauts around the moon in preparation for future lunar landings.
Washington state has 41 companies supplying components to the Artemis program. On Monday, Cantwell visited two of these suppliers to highlight the state’s aerospace industry contributions.
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