This is my third Orion launch, but it feels totally different

The author has observed Orion launches in 2014, 2022 and is watching a third flight now.

Exploration Flight Test-1 in 2014 used a boilerplate Orion on a Delta IV Heavy for a brief test.

Artemis I in 2022 sent Orion into lunar orbit on the Space Launch System, and NASA plans a Lunar Gateway station.

The Orion and SLS program has faced multi-year delays, cost increases, and contracts for SLS upgrades and a launch tower.