NASA G-III Prepares to Support Artemis II

Manny Rodriguez, Gulfstream G-III aircraft crew chief, left, and Eric Apikian, aircraft mechanic, attach an instrumented seat onto a G-III on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The modifications prepare the aircraft to join three others flying at different altitudes to capture a complete view of the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield during Artemis II reentry. This effort is part of NASA’s Scientifically Calibrated In-Flight Imagery project.

Manny Rodriguez, Gulfstream G-III aircraft crew chief, left, and Eric Apikian, aircraft mechanic, attach an instrumented seat onto a G-III on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The modifications prepare the aircraft to join three others flying at different altitudes to capture a complete view of the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield during Artemis II reentry. This effort is part of NASA’s Scientifically Calibrated In-Flight Imagery project.

Photographer NASA/Genaro Vavuris
Album Armstrong_Artemis_Contributions
Location AFRC
NASA s Armstrong Flight Research CenterAFRCG-IIIGulfstreamArtemisSCIFLIOrionspacecraftScientifically Calibrated In-Flight Imageryheat shieldEdwards Air Force BaseCalifornia