Everything is ready so that, after the failed attempt last Monday, August 29, the nave Artemis I finally take off towards Luna. The space program of NASA is already preparing for a new launch, which will take place next Saturday, September 3, and which will allow space travel to the Earth’s satellite to be resumed, 50 years after the last time man stepped on the lunar surface.
this first trip no human crew it will try to go further than any spacecraft intended to transport humans has reached so far. Specifically, 64,000 kilometers beyond the surface of the Lunato enter a distant retrograde orbit of the satellite.
The ultimate goal of Artemis’s first mission is to verify that the spacecraft is capable of performing the necessary maneuvers to guarantee stability and safety during its trip to the satellite and re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere at high speeds without being damaged. But, concretely, what goals has NASA set for this first Artemis space voyage?
Test the thermal resistance of Orion
Show that the heat shield of the Orion spacecraft it is safe in high temperatures is one of the main objectives established by NASA for this first trip. The extreme heat ‒about 2,800 degrees Celsius‒ and the speed that this capsule will have to withstand in order to enter the Earth again – more than 40,000 kilometers per hour before entering the atmosphere and 480 km / h upon reaching it – is one of the main concerns of the space agency’s engineers, who with this test they will try to guarantee the safety of future crews.
Check the operation of the Space Launch System
Ensure that the cohete Space Launch System (SLS) is capable of carrying out all the operations necessary to launch the Orion capsule towards the moon is another objective to take into account. The intention is to verify that all procedures are carried out as they should be, from takeoff to landing next October.
Thus, NASA engineers must verify that the communication, propulsion and navigation systems function correctly and that there are no failures that endanger the mission. This will also allow operators to have more baggage for the new missions of the Artemis program that are scheduled for the coming years.
Guarantee the return to Earth of the Orion spacecraft
The Orion spacecraft should safely and successfully return to Earth some 42 days after liftoff, looking for a safe return. With this, they will be able to guarantee the crew safety of upcoming missions of the Artemis program, such as those planned before the next astronauts land on the surface of the satellite.
Once back on Earth, NASA technicians must analyze the data obtained during the flight and retrieve information from the payloads.
Evaluate other aspects of the Orion spacecraft
Among the purposes of this trip will also be to analyze the operation of other aspects of the Orion shipas can be your optical navigation system or deployment of CubeSats satelliteswhich will be used to study deep space during the trip.
On the other hand, the trip will also allow testing advanced guidance, navigation and control system (GN&C), which will allow NASA to control the position of the spacecraft at all times. Furthermore, guarantee the Wi-Fi network operation Integrated is another objective, since it is this that allows the cameras attached to the wings of the capsule’s solar panels not to fail.