The countdown is approaching to see the man again on to the Moon, 50 years after the last space flight to the Earth’s satellite took place. It will be thanks to the Artemis Program, promoted by NASA, which plans to bring space travelers back to the lunar surface before 2025 and, soon, to try to reach Mars. This first voyage without a human crew aims to go further than any spacecraft intended to transport humans has reached so far.
However, this first voyage of exploration has not started off on the right foot. Although the launch of the Artemis I mission was scheduled to take place this Monday, August 29, technical setbacks aborted this takeoff and predictably delayed it until next saturday september 3.
The causes of this delay are conditioned by the bad weather that accompanied the morning of takeoff, where a storm prevented the filling of the fuel at the scheduled time. For its part, one of the four RS-25 rocket engines failed to cool down to temperature suitable for takeoff. It was then that NASA engineers decided to pause the countdown with the intention of correcting the failure, something that was ultimately not possible and ended with the suspension until further notice of the launch of this mission.
What is the Artemis mission about?
NASA’s new space program, Artemis I, receives its characteristic name in recognition of Apollo, the first program that landed man on the Moon on July 20, 1969 and which remained active until December 1972. Artemis o Sagebrush She is the twin sister of Apollo and the goddess of the Moon in Greek mythology, which is why NASA believes that this nickname can perfectly personify the “way to the Moon”.
It will not be until 2024 when the first astronauts get on board the Artemis II, which will make a trajectory similar to the current one, skirting the orbit of the Moon. It is estimated that by the end of 2025 we will be able to see the next man and the first woman on the south pole of the lunar surface thanks to Artemis III mission.
Thus, Artemis I will be NASA’s first attempt to send this rocket, the most powerful ever built, into space. The purpose of this mission is to verify that the spacecraft is capable of performing the necessary maneuvers to guarantee stability during its trip to the satellite and re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere at high speeds without being damaged.
It is bareboat voyage, which includes the Space Launch System Rocket (SLS) and the Orion spacecraft, could take off this coming Saturday, September 3, according to NASA. If all goes according to plan, after launch the rocket will reach orbit in just 8.5 minutes with speeds of more than 27,000 kilometers per hour. It will be then that the Orion capsule will be deployed in a translunar injection orbit, just 90 minutes after liftoff, and then begin a journey that could last up to 42 days.
How long will it take Artemis I to reach the Moon?
The real objective of this ship is not to land on the surface of the Earth’s satellite, but to enter a distant retrograde orbit of the Moon. Thus, if it succeeds, it will travel 64,000 kilometers more, going further than any spacecraft designed to transport humans.
Infographic of the trip that the Artemis I mission will make to the Moon in 2022
The journey to this orbit it will last 8-14 days and, upon arrival, it will remain there between 6 and 19 days, as explained by NASA. Thus, the trip back to Earth is expected to last between 9 and 19 days.
In this way, according to NASA estimates, Orion’s trip to the Moon’s orbit and back to Earth could last between 24 and 42 days. This initial delay, however, will change the date estimated by scientists for this spacecraft to travel the more of two million kilometers round trip estimates until finally landing in the Pacific Ocean. Thus, it is most likely that the Artemis mission will return to Earth days after October 10, 2022, the first date estimated by NASA engineers.