Artemis 1, first c NASAThe new generation of lunar missions will not start until at least the end of May and may appear in June, according to the space agency.
It must take off from the top of the massive space launch system (SLS) from the Kennedy Space Center in Floridabut was affected by a number of delays.
NASA said at a news conference Thursday that it could not launch until the agency had data from a full wet rehearsal, where the Orion capsule, which will one day take astronauts to lunar orbit, is lined up on the SLS on Pad 39B. .
The team then follows all the procedures and protocols related to the rocket launch, but without actually lifting it off the ground – to ensure that things go smoothly.
This is expected to happen on March 17, which means that the launch in April is no longer viable for the Artemis 1 mission, in which Orion without a crew will spend 26 days traveling to the moon, go into orbit and then return on the ground.
NASA now plans to launch in late May, but acknowledged that it may pass in June or even July, depending on rehearsal data and weather.
During the press conference, NASA also confirmed that there are no Russian components in the SLS and Orion systems.
Artemis 1, NASA’s first-generation lunar mission, will not launch until at least the end of May and may move in June, according to the space agency.
Artemis 1 was originally scheduled to launch in late 2021, but was due to be postponed, initially no earlier than April and now no earlier than May.
Part of this was to address issues found in SLS flight controllers, and others were due to delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
If postponed to June or July, as suggested by NASA officials, this will be in line with the findings of an earlier government audit, which shows that Artemis I is likely to take place “in the summer of 2022.”
“We continue to evaluate the window in May, but we also realize that there is a lot of work ahead of us,” said Tom Whitmeier, NASA’s deputy administrator in charge of developing research systems.
This work includes analysis of data from the wet dress rehearsal, which will see the full package of Orion and SLS released for the launch of the Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center from the vehicle assembly building at 18:00 ET on March 17.
“During the launch site test, the engineers will be on duty at the Launch Control Center and other stations where they will work during the launch of Artemis I,” NASA explained in a blog post about the wet dress rehearsal blog.
It was scheduled to take off on top of the massive Space Launch System (SLS) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, but was hit by a number of delays
“They will capture as much performance data as possible on all systems that are part of the SLS and the Orion spacecraft, as well as Kennedy’s terrestrial systems.”
NASA’S SPACE ROCKET EXCLUSION SYSTEM IS THE LARGEST MADE MADE WHEN IT WILL BE AND WILL ALLOW PEOPLE TO STUDY THE SOLAR SYSTEM
The Space Launch System, or SLS, is a launch vehicle that NASA hopes will bring its astronauts back to the moon and beyond.
The missile will have an initial lift configuration to be launched in the early 2020s, followed by improved “advanced lift capability” that can carry heavier payloads.
Possibility for initial launch of the space launch system
– First flight: mid – 2020
– Height: 311 feet (98 meters)
– Lifting: 70 metric tons
– Weight: 2.5 million kilograms (5.5 million pounds)
Space launch system Developed lifting capability
– First flight: Unknown
– Height: 384 feet (117 meters)
– Lifting: 130 metric tons
– Weight: 2.9 million kilograms (6.5 million pounds)
“The Guzhi transporter will transport more than £ 17 million of the 39B complex launch stack,” said NASA’s Mike Bolger, adding that the top of the umbilical tower will be more than 400 feet off the ground when moving on top of the chain conveyor. that will really be a sight.
After the wet rehearsal, the combination of Orion and SLS will stay on the Pad 39B for about a month before returning to the hanger for more analysis.
To start in May, it must be ready between May 7 and May 21, and if it is not ready by then, after all analyzes are completed, it will have to wait until June.
The window for June lasts from June 6 to June 16 and then again from June 29 to July 12, NASA officials confirmed.
Although this is the first mission for the massive Space Launch System rocket engine, it will be the second for the Orion capsule, which took part in a test flight in December 2014, going into space on the ULA Delta IV Heavy.
When Artemis 1 finally launches, it will usher in a new era of lunar exploration, which will eventually see the first woman and the first colored face to land on the moon.
The Artemis I mission will see the Orion spacecraft, SLS and Kennedy ground systems combine to launch Orion 280,000 miles around the Earth around the moon during a three-week mission.
This spaceship, built mostly by Lockheed Martin, will stay in space “longer than any astronaut ship has ever made without connecting to a space station and will return home faster and hotter. more than ever, ”NASA said. previously.
If Artemis I succeeds, then in 2024 NASA will send Artemis II on a voyage around the moon, this time with a human crew on board.
The Artemis II mission plans to send four astronauts in the first Orion capsule with a lunar crew for a maximum of 21 days.
Both missions are test flights to demonstrate the technology and capabilities of Orion, SLS and the Artemis mission before NASA puts human boots back on the moon.
The Artemis mission will be the first to land on the moon since NASA’s Apollo 17 in 1972. With the first woman and the first black man, it is expected to come to the surface at some point in 2025.
With approximately $ 1 billion in launch, the space agency wants to ensure that any problems or bugs are fixed before the disposable rocket leaves Earth.
This is expected to happen on March 17, which means that the launch in April is no longer viable for the Artemis 1 mission, which will see how an unmanned Orion will spend 26 days traveling to the moon, go into orbit and then return to Earth
It is housed in the vehicle assembly building at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and rises to a whopping 322 feet with the Orion module on top.
When launched, the rocket will produce 8.8 million pounds of thrust, more than the Saturn V rocket that took Apollo’s astronauts to the moon in the 1960s and 1970s.
Artemis missions face their own challenges, including the development of spacesuits and manpower systems that will bring the crew to the surface.
However, many of the delays are due to problems with SLS itself and legal problems caused by NASA’s failed lawsuit by Jeff Bezos over its decision to award the Human Lander contract solely to Blue Origin.
In November, NASA extended its target date for sending astronauts back to the moon from 2024 to 2025 at the earliest.
NASA will land the first woman and the first man of color on the moon in 2025 as part of the Artemis mission
Artemis is the twin sister of Apollo and goddess of the moon in Greek mythology.
NASA has chosen to embody its way back to the moon, which will see astronauts return to the lunar surface by 2025 – including the first woman and the next man.
Artemis 1, the former Exploration Mission-1, is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will allow humans to explore the moon and Mars.
Artemis 1 will be the first integrated flight test of NASA’s deep space exploration system: the Orion spacecraft, the Space Launch System (SLS) and ground-based systems at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Artemis 1 will be an unmanned flight that will provide the basis for human exploration of deep space and will demonstrate our commitment and ability to extend human existence to the moon and beyond.
During this flight, the spacecraft will launch with the most powerful rocket in the world and will fly farther than any man-made spacecraft has ever flown.
It will travel 280,000 miles (450,600 km) from Earth, thousands of miles beyond the moon in about three weeks’ mission.
Artemis 1, the former Exploration Mission-1, is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions that will allow human exploration of the Moon and Mars. This chart explains the different stages of the mission
Orion will stay in space longer than any astronaut ship without docking with a space station and will return home faster and hotter than ever.
With this first research mission, NASA is leading the next steps of human exploration into deep space, where astronauts will build and begin testing systems near the moon needed for lunar surface missions and exploration to other destinations farther from Earth, including Mars.
It will take the crew on a different trajectory and test Orion’s critical systems with people on board.
Together, Orion, SLS and ground-based systems at Kennedy will be able to meet the most challenging needs of crew and cargo missions in deep space.
Ultimately, NASA seeks to establish a sustainable human presence on the moon by 2028 as a result of the Artemis mission.
The space agency hopes the colony will uncover new scientific discoveries, demonstrate new technological advances and lay the groundwork for private companies to build a lunar economy.