Commercial Space Week 2027

Artemis II marked the return to crewed flight around the Moon and provided a test of deep-space systems with astronauts aboard. This panel brings together practitioners to examine what the journey revealed—and how those lessons will shape missions that follow. The discussion will explore the performance of Orion, the Space Launch System, Exploration Ground Systems, mission control, communications, navigation, crew systems, science operations, recovery, and the teams that connected them. Panelists will address what worked as planned, where operations challenged assumptions, and how mission data is being translated into design, training, procedural, and architectural decisions. Just as importantly, the session will examine the coordination required among NASA, contractors, international partners, and the workforce supporting launch. Attendees will hear a grounded assessment of Artemis II not simply as a historic milestone, but as a learning mission whose value lies in making subsequent lunar missions safer, more capable, and more repeatable.