Manned Moon Mission Artemis-2: The giant rocket is back on the launch pad
On April 1, NASA plans to launch humans to the moon for the first time in over half a century. The rocket is now back on the launch pad.
On the way to the launch pad
(Image: NASA/Brandon Hancock)
NASA's moon rocket SLS (Space Launch System) is once again on the launch pad. The first manned flight to Earth's natural satellite in more than half a century is scheduled to launch next Wednesday. The US space agency announced this after completing the eleven-hour journey before the weekend. The giant rocket only had to travel 6 km, but was only moving at a maximum speed of 1.3 km/h. Before the Artemis-2 moon mission can launch, a series of tests and preparations must still be carried out. If the rocket is not ready by April 1, there are several other launch opportunities until April 6, NASA also announced.
Delays before returning to the moon
With Artemis-2, NASA wants to fly humans to the moon again and orbit it. The launch was initially planned for February 6, but there were new postponements. The crew of the moon capsule consists of Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch from NASA, as well as Canadian Jeremy Hansen. On their ten-day flight, they are to first orbit the Earth and then accelerate towards the Earth's natural satellite. Four days are then allocated for the flight there. If everything goes according to plan, Artemis-3 will launch next year as the next mission without a moon landing, before humans are to arrive on the lunar surface in 2028. In the first mission of the ambitious Artemis program, an unmanned capsule flew around the moon in the fall of 2022.
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The second dress rehearsal for fueling the giant rocket did not end entirely successfully at the end of February. Those responsible failed to properly fuel the upper stage with helium. According to the NASA chief, the problem had already occurred with Artemis-1. To search for the cause, the giant rocket had to be returned to the assembly building, and the crew was allowed to leave quarantine. Later, the US space agency explained that a quick connector was removed, where a seal had been hindering the flow of helium. The system was then reassembled. Other rocket systems were also refreshed during this process. In mid-March, it was announced that it should now work in early April.
(mho)
