The mission that aims to return humans to the moon, Artemis 1will fly into space using the Orion spacecraft tonight, Thursday (11/17) in the morning.
The giant rocket Space Launch System (SLS) will carry out this mission in the launch window which lasts only two hours, ie Thursday (17/11) from 01.04 WIB to 03.04 WIB.
The Artemis 1 mission is the first United States Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) mission to return astronauts to the moon in 50 years. The rocket took off into space from Pad 39B Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA.
Quoted from the site NASAOn Wednesday (11/16) at 03:22 WIB, Artemis Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson gave “go” instructions, to load fuel into the SLS rocket. The process begins with the cooling of the core stage liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen transfer line.
The launch of the new rocket and spacecraft has encountered a number of technical problems resulting in several delays.
Previously, engine cooling problems forced NASA to cancel its first launch scheduled for August 29.
A second launch attempt on September 3 also failed due to a liquid hydrogen leak during refueling, forcing NASA to return the rocket to the assembly line for repairs.
Should problems return to face tonight’s launch, NASA has determined alternate times, namely Nov. 19 and Nov. 25.
weather factor
NASA always monitors the weather before launch, and the weather forecast for Artemis 1’s third launch attempt is promising.
According to Saturday’s (11/12) monitoring by Space Launch Delta 45 Meteorological Group at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, there is an 80 percent chance of good weather at launch.
The main weather concerns are heavy cloud cover, surface electric fields caused by lightning, and the possibility that the SLS may have to fly in the rain during its ascent phase. The weather monitoring team will post daily weather updates ahead of launch.
Quoted from the official press release NASA, the countdown to the launch of the Artemis 1 mission begins on Monday (14/11) at 1324 WIB. The launch team is said to have combined lessons learned from wet suit test runs and perfected launch timing.
The launch process itself will begin Wednesday (11/16) early morning Indonesian time with fuel refueling to the SLS rocket. At around 10:00, the team will perform a translunar injection and spacecraft separation, as well as set Orion on a course to the Moon.
The same NASA team will guide the public who wish to watch the implementation of the Artemis 1 mission live stream on the NASA website, from prelaunch to after the rocket is airborne.
(lom/arh)
