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Video by Petty Officer 2nd Class Olivia Rucker

Department of Defense completes Underway Recovery Test 11 with NASA

Expeditionary Strike Group 3

Feb. 26, 2024 | 2:12

NASA and the Department of Defense completed Underway Recovery Test 11 aboard the amphibious transport dock USS San Diego (LPD 22) off the coast of San Diego, Feb. 21-28, 2024. Underway Recovery Test 11 was the eleventh in a series of tests and the first time the DoD and NASA completed a full recovery simulation with the Artemis II Flight Crew. Working in support of U.S. Space Command, U.S. Navy units included USS San Diego, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 23, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Expeditionary Mobile Unit 1, and Amphibious Construction Battalion 1, with support from U.S. Air Force’s First Air Force, Detachment 3, and U.S. Space Force’s 45th Space Launch Delta Weather Squadron. In preparation for NASA’s Artemis II crewed mission, which will send four astronauts in Orion beyond the Moon, NASA and the Department of Defense will conduct a series of tests to demonstrate and evaluate the processes, procedures, and hardware used in recovery operations for crewed lunar missions. The U.S. Navy has many unique capabilities that make it an ideal partner to support NASA, including its amphibious ships with the ability to embark helicopters, launch and recover small boats, three-dimensional air search radar and advanced medical facilities. (U.S. Navy video by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Olivia Rucker)