A Kurdish engineer helps keep NASA's Artemis II on course

WASHINGTON - A Kurdish engineer helped design a critical safety valve that keeps NASA's Artemis rocket on course as it heads to the Moon, highlighting the vital role of Kurdish scientists in space exploration.

Artemis 11, launched by NASA on April 1, is part of the agency's ambitious program to return humans to the Moon and test technologies for future missions to Mars. The mission continues the legacy of lunar exploration while advancing new spacecraft systems, including the Orion capsule, whose critical systems rely on the valve designed by Ardeshir
Rashidi Kalhor

"This valve is designed for safety," Kalhor told Rudaw back in June 2023. "Under normal conditions, it remains inactive. But if the spacecraft deviates from its intended path due to pressure fluctuations, the valve activates to regulate the system and bring it back on course,” he added.

Kalhor, with more than 40 years of experience in aerospace engineering, contributed to the control system that stabilizes the rocket's Orion capsule, a key component of the Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the lunar surface.

Rudaw visited his lab in Upland, Los Angeles, California, in June 2023, shortly after NASA launched Artemis I, formerly known as Exploration Mission-1. This uncrewed Moon-orbiting mission took off on November 16, 2022. The visit offered a rare look at the precision engineering behind the valve and the vital role a Kurdish engineer played in this
cutting-edge technology.

Originally from eastern Kurdistan (Iranian Kurdistan), Kalhor moved to the United States in the 1970s to pursue higher education. He studied physics and mechanical engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and went on to build a decades-long career in the
aerospace sector, working with NASA, JAXA, and Lockheed Martin, one of the major contractors on the Artemis program.

The valve, produced by his company RDI Engineering, plays a critical safety role in the rocket's reaction control system. It regulates pressure and ensures the Orion spacecraft stays on its intended trajectory. Although small, the component is highly complex and
activates only if the spacecraft veers off course.

His company, established in 2015 with support from Lockheed Martin, has already supplied valves for multiple Artemis missions, with plans to continue supporting future launches.

"Lockheed Martin contacted me and said they needed me to build this valve. At that time, I didn't have my own company; I was just a consultant,” he said, adding that ''NASA and Lockheed Martin supported us so that we could build a prototype for the equipment Lockheed Martin required."