The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced today that it plans to launch the giant rocket space launch system (SLS) in February next year to carry out the Artemis 1 mission, which is part of the Apollo moon landing program. This will be the first time NASA has launched a lunar rocket since the Apollo moon landing.
According to NASA officials, the SLS rocket will be the first lunar rocket since the Apollo program. It was supposed to be released in November of this year, but it’s now a few months later than expected. It may now be launched on February 12 if the final test goes smoothly.
The SLS rocket is also part of the Artemis program and is meant to transport astronauts to the moon, Mars, and other deep-space destinations. NASA’s Artemis plan calls for astronauts to return to the moon in 2024 to create a long-term lunar outpost.
According to the NASA Assistant Director of the Space Exploration System Tom Whitmeyer, the full stack of the crew capsule and SLS rocket will be relocated to the 38B launch pad for testing in late December, followed by early January next year.
Whittier stated, “After pre-launch training, we’ll return to the assembly facility for more in-depth inspections, then return to the launch pad.”
“The Artemis 1 mission is the first step toward the first female and minority astronauts landing on the moon… We’re pleased with how far this mission has progressed thus far.” He maintained.
However, Sarafin, explaining the goal of the mission, said that the Artemis 1 mission would also test the return of the Orion crew capsule from the moon. This mission provides engineers with data on the crew capsule’s operation while in space. The Orion Crew Module will use the deep space network to communicate data back to Earth and take selfies using numerous cameras mounted atop the spacecraft’s solar array.
“The Orion crew cabin will snap selfies and also allow us to see the moon in the background.” “We’ll also be able to see the Earth from a distance of around 380,000 kilometers.”
Moreso, the SLS rocket will also carry ten tiny satellites that will perform various research jobs in addition to launching the Orion crew capsule into space. Satellites to examine the effects of deep-space radiation on yeast DNA and satellites to study how spacecraft work in massive solar sails are among them. With assistance, fly over near-Earth asteroids.
