NASA is making final preparations for the imminent launch of its Artemis 2 giant lunar rocket, with crewed flights around the moon scheduled to begin as early as February 6.
The Artemis mission aims to return humans to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. The program is also scheduled to take the first woman to the moon.
you may like
“We are moving closer to Artemis II, and rollout is imminent,” Lori Glaze, acting deputy administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, said in a statement on January 9. “There are critical steps remaining on the path to launch, and crew safety remains our top priority as we approach humanity’s return to the Moon.”
NASA previously announced that Artemis 2 could launch as early as February 5, 2026, or as late as April 2026. However, the Artemis mission has been delayed in the past, and like any spaceflight mission, the latest scheduled date is subject to change.
NASA plans to move the Orion spacecraft, carrying the massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and crew, to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida by Saturday (January 17) in preparation for a test flight. The rocket has a core stage that is 212 feet (65 meters) tall, and when capped with a crew capsule, it will be 322 feet (98 meters) tall, taller than the Statue of Liberty.
Although the distance between NASA’s vehicle assembly building and the launch pad is only 4 miles (6 kilometers), moving the giant rocket is a slow and delicate process that is expected to take up to 12 hours, the statement said.
NASA will delay deployments if weather conditions are bad or technical problems occur. The space agency said engineers are troubleshooting in preparation for launch. For example, they worked on developing leaky ground support hardware needed to provide oxygen to Orion.
After deployment, NASA plans to conduct a wet dress rehearsal at the end of January. This is a pre-launch test to fuel the rocket, which uses more than 700,000 gallons (2.6 million liters) of cryogenic propellant. The test also includes a launch countdown, rocket propellant removal practice, safety procedures, and more. If all goes well, NASA will conduct a flight readiness review before committing to a launch date.
The space agency wants a continued presence on the moon as part of its Artemis program, which also serves as a stepping stone toward the ultimate goal of sending humans to Mars.
Source link
