Maybe the third time is the charm. After two failed attempts due to technical problems and another couple of delays due to hurricanes, NASA hopes to launch this Wednesday from Florida (USA) the mega rocket Space Launch System (SLS) of the mission Artemis I, an unmanned test flight that is the first step to return to the Moon. Those responsible for the agency decided on Monday night to continue with the countdown after solving a problem in the sealing of the Orion capsulelocated at the tip of the rocket.
The first flight of the SLS is scheduled for 7.04 Spanish peninsular time, with a launch window of two hours. Their objective is to fly over the Moon without landing, to verify that the vehicle is safe for a future crew.
The complex refueling operations will begin this Tuesday at the Kennedy Space Center, and will be commanded by Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, NASA’s first female launch director.
The orange rocket will be filled with 2.7 million liters of liquid oxygen and hydrogen. It is a delicate operation. Precisely a hydrogen leak caused the cancellation of the second launch attempt at the last moment in September. Since then, the procedures have been successfully modified and verified through a test.
faulty sensor
The first cancellation, which occurred in August, had to do with a faulty sensor. NASA officials have repeated that these problems are normal for a new spacecraft, which their teams are learning from.
But it is that in addition to the technical problems, two hurricanes threatened the rocket in separate attempts. The 98-meter-tall SLS rocket had to be returned in late September to its assembly building a few kilometers away to protect it from Hurricane Ian, which postponed lift-off for several weeks.
Then, when it was already on its launch pad, it had to face the winds of Hurricane Nicole less than a week ago. The storm caused damage to a thin layer of sealant on top of the rocket, but NASA judged the risk Monday to be minimal. In all, the program, which costs several billion dollars, is several years behind schedule.
farther than anyone
If launch does take place, the Orion capsule will be propelled by two thrusters and four powerful engines below the main section, which will separate just a few minutes later. After one last push from the upper reaches, the capsule will be on its way to the Moon, which will take several days to reach.
There it will be placed in a distant orbit, even venturing to position itself up to 64,000 km behind the Moon, farther than any other manned spacecraft to date.
Then the capsule will begin its return to Earth. Its heat shield, the largest ever built, will have to withstand a temperature equivalent to half that of the Sun’s surface when it passes through the atmosphere. In total, the mission will last a total of 25 and a half days, landing in the Pacific Ocean on December 11.
After this first mission, Artemis 2 it will take astronauts to the Moon in 2024, but not yet land there. That will be done by the crew of Artemis 3, in 2025 at the earliest. By then, NASA wants to launch about one mission each year to establish a constant human presence on the moon, build the Gateway space station to orbit around it, and set up a base on the lunar surface.
The goal is to test new equipment there, such as space suits, pressurized vehicles, mini power plants, and use the frozen water to establish a lasting human presence. This experiment would serve as preparation for a manned trip to Mars, towards the end of the 2030s.