NASA successfully launched Artemis I into space last Wednesday with the help of multiple North Texas companies.
One of the contributors to the historic NASA mission was SeyTec, located in North Richland Hills. The company has been operating for over 30 years and serves the aerospace and defense industries by supplying aerospace fasteners and ancillary hardware.
SeyTec’s general manager, Matthew West, told NBC 5, “Think of us as a big box warehouse for components that hold all of those aircraft and ground vehicles together.”
A SeyTec team inspects parts before stocking them in a warehouse. Parts are then distributed from the warehouse for needed programs.
“They’ll pull the parts directly off the shelves. Bag them, tag them with a label. Then the parts will come back out,” West explained.
This warehouse proved very useful to the Artemis I mission. “We’re essential,” West said. “Us and other subcontractors that work to support NASA are essential in terms of scalability to the program, the attention to detail.”
Ken Ruffin, president of the National Space Society of North Texas, shared that he was in Florida for the scheduled August launch when it was canceled, as previously reported in The Dallas Express.
“When there are delays like that, it’s not the perfect situation,” he told NBC 5. “But it’s better for there to be a delay than there is to be something negative.”
The Dallas Express has reported extensively on the Artemis program. Last week’s launch represents a crucial step in testing the Orion space capsule. Though unmanned for now, NASA expects to send astronauts in subsequent missions — the last of which, Artemis III, will include the first lunar landing since 1972.
According to NASA, the overarching aim of the Artemis program is to establish a long-term human presence on the Moon. Through a greater exploration of the lunar surface, the hope is to use the Moon as a base for further explorations into space — even Mars.
Another of NASA’s programs includes setting up the first space station in lunar orbit, Gateway, which will support the Artemis missions, especially in mounting a lunar base camp.
NASA claims returning to the Moon will lead to economic benefits, scientific discoveries, and inspiration for the next generation.
As Ruffin told NBC 5, “The Artemis program is really much bigger than what most people probably realize.”
Christina Koch, a NASA astronaut, said it is an honor to be part of the Artemis I mission.
“Nothing but excited. We are ready to kick this off,” Koch said about the launch last week. “We are excited to be the crew that gets to fulfill these missions. It’s a great honor to be in that role. It’s really what we’ve trained for.”
NASA hopes to get astronauts back on the Moon in 2025.
