Artemis 1 was the first step to landing the first woman on the Moon.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, CAPE CANAVERAL — The American Space Agency (NASA) is targeting early next year for the inaugural launch of the Space Launch System megarocket. This rocket is part of the mission launch plan Artemis 1.
On Friday (22/10), Office NASA said the giant lunar rocket, the first since the Apollo program, was months late. Rocket for mission to the moon it was originally slated to launch in November but could potentially launch February 12, 2022 if it goes well. That’s when the first launch window opens for mission Artemis 1 unmanned around the Moon.
The Space Launch System (SLS) is a rocket developed by NASA to carry astronauts to the Moon, Mars and other distant destinations as part of the Artemis program. The program aims to send astronauts back to the moon in early 2024 to establish a long-term and sustainable human presence on Earth and around Earth’s closest neighbours.
Reported from Space, Sunday (24/10), this mission consists of two main components, namely the SLS rocket and the Orion crew capsule. On Wednesday (20/10), engineers stacked the crew capsule on top of the 322-foot (98.14-meter) mega-launch inside High Bay 3 of the historic Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The buildup marks the completion of a major milestone for the agency and its countdown to launch.
Together, the two will fly the first missions in NASA’s Artemis moon program, as part of an unmanned flight around the moon targeted for launch early next year. The flight, called Artemis 1, is expected to launch on February 12.
“Completing the buildup is a very important milestone,” Mike Sarafin, NASA’s Artemis 1 program manager said at a press briefing Friday to discuss program progress.
“It shows that we are at home heading for the mission,” he said.
During the same briefing, Tom Whitmeyer, associate deputy administrator for exploration systems development at NASA Headquarters, told reporters that the now-stacked rockets and crew capsules will be launched onto their Launch Pad 39B in late December for testing, followed by refueling exercises. known as dress rehearsals in early January.
“Artemis 1 is the first step towards landing the first woman and first person of color on the moon. This is a very important achievement for this country and we are pleased with the progress of the mission so far,” added Whitmeyer.
– .
