It could be a busy month for lunar launches.
That's "launches", right?
The dueling lunar-bound liftoffs next month could be the proof that the world has entered a new space race. NASA will attempt to send up the first Artemis mission on Nov. 14 with back-to-back dates of Nov. 16 and 19
There is a mission in the United States that is scheduled to leave from its soil. The ispace company plans to launch a rocket on Nov. 9 and 15. The first mission of the Hakuto-R program would carry cargo and put two rovers on the moon.
The company said in a statement that it believes the upcoming launch of NASA's Artemis SLS will send a message that a new era is opening for the lunacisr economy. The area around the moon is included in theCislunar.
A Japanese commercial company focused on building moon landers, called ispace, plans to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket between Nov. 9 and 15. Credit: ispace
NASA is hoping to get moon dust samples from the private landers trip. If the company succeeds, it will be the first to land on the moon. It would be the first successful private delivery of cargo to the moon. An Israeli company crashed into the moon in 2019.
Brad Jolliff is the director of the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences at Washington University.
Jolliff said there was a business case for the moon. The new era of lunar exploration and travel will be done with international partners and with commercial partners.
"There's a business case for the moon."
The Artemis' mega Space Launch System and the SpaceX's Falcon 9 will both be launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
It's1-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-65561-6556 Heather Scott, a spokeswoman for the Eastern Range of the Space Force, said that the team assisted two launches in the span of 13 hours in August.
Scott said that the command aims to support a launch. The goal used to be one launch a week, but the range can support two launches in a single day.
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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying satellites blasts off from launchpad 40 while NASA's mega moon rocket and another SpaceX Falcon 9 sit at the Kennedy Space Center in April 2022. Credit: NASA / Kim Shiflett
The Artemis I mission is the first deep space flight of a capsule built to carry astronauts. A 40,000-mile swing past the moon is part of the plan for the spaceship. A successful uncrewed test flight would allow up to four passengers to board the spaceship on Artemis II. There is a flight that is scheduled to leave in 24 years.
The era of human-led space exploration ended in 1972 with the last Apollo flight. Hundreds of astronauts went into space on the agency's shuttles, but they stayed in Earth's atmosphere.
Future plans include building a lunar-orbiting moon base, seeing the first woman and person of color walk on the moon's surface, and learning how to sustain life there for long periods, all while keeping one eye on the Red Planet.
As early as 12:07 a.m., NASA is aiming. The launch window is closed at 1 hour and 9 minutes after the sun goes down. That doesn't give the agency enough wiggle room to deal with unforeseen issues.
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The Artemis attempt was scrubbed after the launch crew found an engine that wasn't cooling the fuel properly. NASA determined that the problem was an inaccurate sensor, not un chilled fuel. There was a hydrogen fuel leak at the base of the rocket during the second try.
Hurricane season stopped plans for NASA to try again. The Statue of Liberty-sized rocket had to be rolled back to the hangar to protect its hardware.
A reconfiguration of the spaceflight from 42 days to 25 days is included in the NASA announcement of a new launch schedule in November. Instead of 1.5 laps around the moon, the shortened mission would involve a half-lap around the moon and a return to Earth in December.
The duration of the mission is not arbitrary. The timing of the sun, Earth, and moon are looked at by NASA. The forces of gravity and the atmosphere are some of the important factors that influence when and how long the mission will last. Daylight is needed when the capsule splashes down to help recover water.
In this diagram of the Artemis I mission, one can see how the Orion spacecraft could perform different orbits around the moon. Credit: NASA
NASA can still meet their goals even if they spend more time on the moon.
In an August press briefing, Rick LaBrode, lead Artemis I flight director, said that they would be able to accomplish all of their objectives. They are close together.
Maintenance crews are repairing insulation foam and batteries on the rocket while it is in storage. SLS is going to be hauled back out to the launchpad in November.
The ispace's private mission is expected to take a long time to reach its destination, even though the NASA and SpaceX rockets are trying to leave Earth at the same time. The mission wouldn't land on the moon for another 3 to 4 months because of fuel costs.
They're going to make history if they land.
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