Orion Camera View of Spacecraft Adapter Jettison Panel Separation
art002m1200912222B (April 1, 2026) - A view of one of the spacecraft adapter jettison panels falling away from the Orion spacecraft’s service module, just minutes after the 6:35 p.m. EDT liftoff of the Artemis II mission from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The panels protect the spacecraft's solar array wings from the dynamic environment of ascent as the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket propels Orion into space. They are then jettisoned to allow the solar arrays to unfurl.