This long-awaited test flight of the Artemis 1 uncrewed mission aims to test the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket as well as the Orion capsule that will carry astronauts in the future.
The date will depend on whether engineers can successfully complete the SLS fuel tank test and whether they receive a special exemption to prevent further testing of the battery in the missile’s emergency kill system.
Without this exception, the rocket would have to return to the assembly shop, delaying the schedule by several weeks.
The September 27 launch window will open at 11:37 local time for 70 minutes, with the mission scheduled to end on November 5. A possible second window is scheduled for October 2, according to NASA in a blog post.
The launch of the new rocket was canceled on August 29 and again on September 3 due to technical problems, delaying the effective launch of the US Artemis Moon reentry program.
The SLS, an orange and white mega-rocket that has never flown before, has been in development for over a decade.
For this first mission, Orion will travel up to 64,000 kilometers beyond the Moon, farther than any other manned spacecraft.
One of the primary objectives of the mission is to test the capsule’s heat shield, the largest ever built. Upon returning to the Earth’s atmosphere, it will have to withstand a speed of 40,000 km / h and a temperature half that of the surface of the Sun.
The next mission, Artemis 2, will take astronauts in 2024 but will not land on the moon. That honor will be reserved for the Artemis 3 crew, which will not launch until 2025. After that, NASA expects to carry out approximately one mission per year.
The US space agency’s plan is to build a lunar space station called Gateway and a base on the surface of the moon.
NASA intends to test the technology needed to send the first humans to Mars: new spacesuits, a vehicle to get around, or the possible use of lunar water, among others.
According to the director of the space agency Bill Nelson, in the late 2030s, an attempt could be made to make a multi-year trip to Mars aboard the Orion.
