Lockheed's Spacecraft Tests IMU Accuracy, Thruster Response as it Approached Apogee
The 12th day of the Artemis I mission saw the team conduct star-tracking evaluations of the mounted sensor suite, evaluating Orion's capability to track distant objects. Orion used distant stars to evaluate the accuracy of onboard IMU measurements, gauging their performance as it activated its thrusters to face different celestial bodies. The motion allowed NASA to test the level of variance experienced by the craft throughout a range of different thermal states, always a prime consideration when testing accuracy given the extreme temperature swings experienced by sunward portions of a spacecraft.