The SLS rocket, together with the also newly developed moon capsule Orion, is the most important part of the new Artemis moon program of the American space agency. This first rocket will make the unmanned Artemis 1 flight to test all systems in orbit around the moon.
The next flight, Artemis 2, is now scheduled for 2024 and will put humans back into orbit around the moon for the first time since the 1970s. A year later, astronauts have to land on the moon with Artemis 3.
NASA is working closely on the project with international partners, ESA, Canada and Japan. The SLS rocket and Orion are being built by a consortium of companies including Boeing and Lockheed Martin. The European Space Agency (ESA) provides the service module for the Orion spacecraft.
In the coming weeks there will be a “wet dress rehearsal“, a dress rehearsal in which the rocket is refueled with 2.5 million liters of liquid hydrogen and oxygen. There is a countdown to a few seconds before take-off, to see if all systems are functioning optimally.
After two days of testing, the colossus first returns to the VAB building for final checks. In a few months, the rocket will be driven back to the platform for the real launch.
The last mission to the moon was in 1972:
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