No single company has a broader footprint in cislunar space than Lockheed Martin . As the prime contractor for the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle — the only operational spacecraft designed to carry humans beyond low Earth orbit — Lockheed Martin sits at the heart of NASA's Artemis architecture. Every crewed mission to the Moon begins and ends with an Orion capsule. But Orion is only one dimension of Lockheed Martin's cislunar presence. The company is also building the Cislunar Transporter for Blue Origin's Blue Moon lander program and has proposed lunar surface habitat concepts, all while maintaining its traditional role as one of America's largest defense and aerospace contractors with over $65 billion in annual revenue . AI-generated image The Orion crew module supports up to four astronauts with modern glass cockpit interfaces. Live Status — March 2026 The Orion spacecraft for Artemis II rolled to Launch Complex 39B on March 20, 2026 after an 11-hour overnight move from the Vehicle Assembly Building. Launch is targeted no earlier than April 1, 2026 , opening a window through April 6. Four crew members entered quarantine on March 18 in Houston. A Legacy in Human Spaceflight Lockheed Martin's involvement in human spaceflight dates back decades. The company's heritage includes contributions to virtually every major NASA crewed program, from the Space Shuttle's external tank (built by Martin Marietta, which merged with Lockheed in 1995) to the Viking Mars landers and numerous classified defense satellite programs. This institutional knowledge and deep relationship with NASA made Lockheed Martin the natural choice when the agency selected a contractor for its next-generation crew vehicle. Orion was originally conceived in the early 2000s as part of NASA's Constellation program , intended to return Americans to the Moon by the mid-2010s. When Constellation was cancelled in 2010, Orion survived as the one element deemed too far along and too capable to abandon. It was redesigned for the Journey to Mars initiative (later rebranded as Moon to Mars) and paired with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and a new service module provided by the European Space Agency. The total investment in Orion through 2022 reached approximately $21.5 billion — making it one of the most expensive spacecraft development programs in NASA history. As of 2026, four flight-worthy Orion spacecraft have been built, with Artemis I flown in November 2022 and Artemis II sitting on the launch pad ready for its April window. Orion: The Deep Space Crew Vehicle Orion consists of two primary components: the Crew Module (CM) , designed and built by Lockheed Martin in Littleton, Colorado, and the European Service Module (ESM) , manufactured by Airbus Defence and Space. Together they form a spacecraft weighing approximately 26,520 kg that can support a crew of four for up to 21 days in free flight, or up to six months when docked to another habitat like the Lunar Gateway. $21.5B Program Cost (through 2022) 4 Crew Capacity 21 days Free-Flight Duration 5.03 m Capsule Diameter 6+ Vehicles Ordered Solar Power System Orion is launched atop the SLS rocket from Kennedy Space Center and is equipped with a launch escape system for crew safety during ascent. The spacecraft uses solar panels rather than fuel cells — a design choice that enables longer missions than the Apollo Command Module's battery-based power system. Its thermal protection system includes the largest heat shield ever built for a crewed spacecraft, designed to withstand reentry speeds from lunar return trajectories. Political Headwinds In May 2025, the second Trump administration proposed terminating the Orion program after Artemis III. However, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed in July 2025 included provisions to fund Orion procurement for Artemis IV and reuse in future missions, preserving the program's continuity. Artemis II: The Moment of Truth Lockheed Martin delivered the completed Orion spacecraft to NASA in May 2025 , after years of integration work at Kennedy Space Center. It was a significant milestone: the first Orion built from the lessons of Artemis I, incorporating hardware updates and a fully assembled crew module with life support systems calibrated for the first human occupants. The path to the launch pad was not smooth. A hydrogen leak during the first wet dress rehearsal in early February 2026 forced engineers to replace seals and filters. A second attempt on February 21 succeeded, but days later a helium pressurization fault in the upper stage sent the entire rocket back to the Vehicle Assembly Building for repairs. Batteries for Orion's launch abort system, core stage, boosters, and upper stage were all refreshed during the three-week VAB stay. NASA's Flight Readiness Review cleared on March 12, 2026, with all teams polling "go." The SLS rolled back to Launch Complex 39B on March 20, arriving at the pad at 11:21 a.m. EDT after an 11-hour overnight journey. The crew — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch (all NASA), and Jeremy Hansen (Canadian Space Agency) — entered quarantine on March 18 in Houston. The mission profile is a 10-day crewed lunar flyby. Orion will travel beyond the Moon and return, validating its life support, propulsion, and reentry systems with humans aboard for the first time. Lockheed Martin has set up a real-time spacecraft tracking tool called AROW (Artemis Real-time Orbit Website) , which will allow the public to follow Orion's position during the mission. Artemis II Countdown May 2025 Lockheed Martin delivers completed Orion to NASA Jan 17, 2026 SLS and Orion roll to the launch pad for the first time Feb 21, 2026 Wet dress rehearsal completes successfully Late Feb 2026 Helium fault detected; rocket returns to VAB for repairs Mar 12, 2026 Flight Readiness Review: all teams poll "go" Mar 18, 2026 Crew enters quarantine in Houston Mar 20, 2026 SLS rolls to Launch Complex 39B (arrived 11:21 a.m. EDT) Apr 1, 2026 Launch target (NET); window open through April 6 Beyond Orion: Cislunar Infrastructure Lockheed Martin's cislunar portfolio extends well beyond the Orion capsule. The company is the primary contractor for the Cislunar Transporter — the space tug that will ferry Blue Origin's Blue Moon lander between Earth orbit and the Moon. This vehicle launches in two parts (tug and tanker), mates in low Earth orbit, and uses three BE-7 engines burning liquid hydrogen and oxygen to deliver the lander to near-rectilinear halo orbit. Blue Moon Mk1 hardware has been progressing through integration, with major modules shipped in January 2026. Lockheed's Cislunar Transporter is designed to work with SpaceX Starship tankers that deliver propellant from Earth — a cross-company logistics chain that turns the lunar architecture into something genuinely reusable. The transporter is central to Blue Origin's "National Team" strategy for sustaining lunar surface access without a new propellant depot at every mission. The company has also proposed lunar surface habitat concepts and participates in studies for long-duration lunar base architectures. Lockheed Martin's experience with pressurized modules, life support systems, and thermal management from programs like Orion and the Space Shuttle positions it as a leading candidate for future lunar surface infrastructure contracts. AI-generated image The SLS rocket carrying Orion represents the most powerful launch vehicle in operation today. Orion Production: Six Vehicles and Counting NASA has contracted Lockheed Martin to build at least six Orion spacecraft , with options for up to 12, covering Artemis missions through Artemis VIII and beyond. Production is running in parallel with flight operations — while Artemis II's Orion sits on the launch pad, the next vehicles are already in various stages of assembly at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans and Lockheed's facility in Littleton, Colorado. The February 2026 Artemis restructure changed the d