Artemis II Crew Completes Mission Around the Moon With Tech Made in Redmond
The local site built dozens of parts for NASA’s recent record-breaking trip to space
NASA’s Space Launch System rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft with NASA astronauts onboard launches on the Artemis II mission, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, from Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Article by Madeline Virginia
Originally published July 6, 2026
Redmond Moments Newspaper, Summer 2026 Edition
A little piece of Redmond traveled a long way from home.
On April 10, NASA’s Artemis II mission successfully landed back on Earth after completing the first crewed lunar flyby in 50 years.
The capsule splash-landed in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of California, and used specialized thrusters made here in Redmond to assure a safe reentry into the atmosphere. Crew members Reid Wiseman (commander), Victor Glover (pilot), Christina Koch (mission specialist) and Jeremy Hansen (mission specialist) all returned to Earth safely.
NASA’s Orion spacecraft with Artemis II crewmembers as it lands in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, Friday, April 10, 2026. Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
According to L3Harris, the Orion space shuttle was supported by “eight auxiliary engines on the service module, each generating 110 pounds of thrust, and 12 reaction control system thrusters on the crew module, each generating 160 pounds of thrust. These systems, built in Redmond, Washington, steer the spacecraft throughout the mission and orient Orion during atmospheric reentry, ensuring the crew safely returns to Earth.”
RS-25 engines for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. Image Credit: NASA/ERIC BORDELON
The Redmond worksite, located near Willows Road NE, is already familiar with sending their work to space. They have contributed to many iconic milestones since NASA’s creation in 1958, including the Apollo missions, Voyager Probes and Mars Rover.
Acquired by L3Harris in 2023, the long history of the Redmond-based factory is a little hard to follow, as GeekWire explains:
The facility traces its lineage back to Rocket Research Co., which was founded by former Boeing engineers in 1960 in Seattle. Rocket Research relocated to the 80-acre Redmond campus in 1968 and has gone through a string of name changes and acquisitions since then.
According to a 2022 presentation for the Redmond Historical Society by Jack DeBoer, a program manager at the site, the Redmond facility has been managed through the years by Rockor, Olin Aerospace, Primex Technologies, General Dynamics, Aerojet, GenCorp and Aerojet Rocketdyne.
GeekWire, “Rocketdyne redux: Seattle area’s oldest rocket factory to get new ownership under old name,” Alan Boyle, 2026.
In 2023, the company, then called Aerojet Rocketdyne, won a $67 million dollar contract to provide more work for Artemis missions 6-8. “Artemis” is NASA’s multi-mission plan with the ultimate goal of laying the foundation for human exploration of the planet Mars.
NASA’s Orion spacecraft is seen in the foreground, lit up by the Sun. A first quarter Moon is visible behind it, with sunlight coming from the right. Image Credit: NASA
Mayor Angela Birney proclaimed an official Redmond Space District in 2025, and aerospace development is a large part of the city’s future economic development plan. Many of these space companies, like SpaceX/Starlink, actually base their worksites in Redmond Ridge, which is technically outside of Redmond City limits, a part of unincorporated King County.
Explore the Artemis II mission!
NASA is a publicly-funded program, which means that mission photos, video, audio and deep-dive information are all available via NASA’s website.
Extra Context:
Parent company L3Harris has appeared often in national news recently, providing tech for another industry here on our home planet that requires a huge amount of thrusters: War.
L3Harris works closely with the United States Department of War (formerly the Department of Defense) and was tapped to help create President Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile defense system for America, a project that will cost the country an estimated $1.2 trillion over 20 years. (As far as we are aware, parts for the Golden Dome will not be made in Redmond. They will largely be made at L3Harris sites in Arkansas, Virginia, Massachusetts, Indiana, Florida and Alabama.
