Orion’s Integrated Test Lab: Ground-Testing the Spacecraft Before Launch
At Lockheed Martin’s Waterton campus near Denver, NASA’s Orion spacecraft gets its most rigorous dress rehearsals long before launch. Inside the Integrated Test Lab (ITL) — a high-fidelity, one-to-one scale test bed of the spacecraft — engineers and astronauts work together to run Orion through its paces, testing every system, display and line of code before it embarks on its historic journey to the Moon.
“The Integrated Test Lab is where the software meets the hardware before it goes on the flight vehicle,” said Anna Jonsen, a member of the ITL operation team at Lockheed Martin. “We test everything here first so that when it’s time to fly, there are no surprises.”
A High-Fidelity Spacecraft on Earth
Stepping into the ITL feels like stepping aboard Orion itself. From entering through the side hatch to the exact flight displays, every cable, switch and circuit mirrors the flight spacecraft. Engineers command real avionics hardware and visualize flight responses through Orion’s “windows,” which display realistic views of space.
“One of the unique things about ITL is we’re as flight-like as you can be without being in the flight vehicle,” Jonsen explained. “That realism is what lets us know our commands are working and our avionics are responding exactly how and when they should.” Having real hardware allows you to test beyond the commands, specific electrical signals and how they travel through physical wires, something that can't be tested with a digital twin.
Linked directly with the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, the ITL enables “closed-loop” simulations, meaning commands and data flow just as they would during an actual mission. Teams rehearse everything from launch and orbit insertion to splashdown, and even intentionally trigger faults to test and validate redundant systems and backups.
Earlier this year, the ITL participated in critical end-to-end tests of the entire Artemis II mission, simulating the flight spacecraft for the Mission Control Center and other supporting centers.
Preparing the Crew for Artemis II
Every mission to the Moon requires robust training and simulation efforts. Artemis II, the first crewed mission to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972, will demonstrate that all spacecraft systems work safely and reliably under real deep-space conditions. For the Artemis II astronauts, the ITL is where training meets real hardware.
“We’re in the highest fidelity simulator that exists,” said Christina Koch, NASA astronaut and Artemis II mission specialist. “It helps us reduce uncertainty and mitigate risk. Every day, we’re discovering something new about how the spacecraft behaves or how we communicate with Mission Control.”
Canadian Space Agency astronaut and Artemis II mission specialist Jeremy Hansen agrees. “This is a pretty extraordinary simulator — it’s an actual twin of our vehicle,” he said. “From a hardware and software perspective, it’s identical. We can do real tests and know how our spacecraft will respond in space.”
And for Reid Wiseman, NASA astronaut and Artemis II commander, that realism translates directly into readiness. “The value of simulating in ITL is two-fold. We get to operate the real flight software and hardware, and we learn how the team reacts when the pressure’s on. It’s real experience — just without the launch.”
The ITL first supported testing for Artemis I and is now central to crewed mission preparations for Artemis II. During this flight, the ITL will be available for support and will be actively running from L-39 hours through the trans-lunar injection (TLI) and be on-call for the remainder of the mission.
As Orion’s missions evolve, so does the lab itself. Engineers are already configuring the ITL for Artemis III, updating simulations for the spacecraft’s new flight profile and planned rendezvous operations with the human landing system (HLS).
Where Confidence Takes Flight
In deep space, there’s no margin for error. Every scenario practiced in the ITL helps ensure the real Orion spacecraft is safe, reliable and ready for anything the Moon — or the journey home — might bring.
“We take that responsibility personally,” said Jonsen. “When the crew climbs aboard Orion, we want them to know we’ve already pushed it to its limits here on Earth.”
From its first tests before Artemis I to its ongoing role preparing for Artemis III, the Integrated Test Lab serves as Orion’s proving ground — part engineering marvel, part human story. It’s where every system is proven, every risk reduced, and every mission begins with confidence.