Antarctica — The American Space Agency’s (NASA) Artemis Mission Team has begun pulling back on the platform surrounding the first rocket that will launch the mission to the moon. Uncovering the massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida is a key step to sending the Orion rocket and spacecraft to the launch pad on March 17. The launch of Artemis 1 will take place sometime in early May 2022.
The unmanned Artemis 1 will send the Orion space capsule around the moon to ensure SLS and Orion are ready for missions with astronauts. The first manned Artemis mission, Artemis 2, will send astronauts around the moon in 2024, if all goes according to plan.
Furthermore, Artemis 3 will land humans on the lunar surface around 2025. However, observers are more confident the launch will take place in 2026. This is related to several problems identified by NASA’s inspector general.
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“But the focus for now is on Artemis 1, and preparations are underway for SLS and Orion ready to launch,” NASA said in a March 2 blog post.
“The team continues to install instrumentation on the SLS twin solid rocket boosters inside the VAB,” NASA continued. VAB is a large Vehicle Assembly Building.
Once on the runway, SLS and Orion will send back a large amount of data on the system, including rocket, spacecraft, and ground gear launching. Propellant loading and other pad activity will also be recorded. The assembled SLS and Orion still have to pass a wet dress rehearsal, a test run of most of the steps that will be completed on launch day in order to be ready for takeoff.
The launch of Artemis 1 has been delayed several times due to technical issues and other scheduling factors. Wet rehearsals are scheduled for about two weeks after Artemis 1 arrives on the pad.
If successful, the Artemis program would be the first in a series of missions to put a man on the moon after the Apollo flights that landed on the lunar surface between 1969 and 1972. The 50th anniversary of the last manned lunar mission, Apollo 17, will occur in December 2022.
Source: Space.com
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