NASA employee holding the Artemis mission patch at NASA Plum Brook Station, Sandusky (Ohio).
NASA announced Friday that it now targets February 2022 for uncrewed lunar mission Artemis 1. This is the first step in America’s plan to send humans back to the Moon later this decade.
Although the space agency initially hoped to launch the test flight before the end of the year with astronauts on board Artemis 3 by then, the timeline has been pushed back.
It reached a significant milestone Wednesday by putting the Orion crew capsule on top of its Space Launch System megarocket. The vehicle assembly building at NASA Kennedy Space Center, Florida now stands 322 feet (98 m) high.
It will then be taken to the launch pad for the final test, known as the "wet rehearsal". This is a January-based test, and the window for launch opens in February, officials said on a phone call.
Mike Sarafin (Artemis 1 mission manager) stated that the February launch period will open on the 12th. The last chance in February will be on the 27th.
Next windows will open in March and April.
These launch times are dependent upon orbital mechanics as well as the Earth's relative position with respect to its satellite.
Expect the mission to last between four and six weeks.
It will also deploy small satellites known as CubeSats to conduct experiments and demonstrations of technology.
Artemis 2 and Artemis 3 are technically set for 2023, respectively, which is likely to be delayed. This will mark humanity's first return to the Moon since 1972's Apollo 17 mission.
NASA claims that the first woman and the first person of color will be moonwalkers.
The agency seeks to establish a permanent presence on the Moon and to use the lessons learned to plan a crewed mission to Mars in 2030s.
NASA completes massive-moon rocket stacking
2021 AFP
