Wednesday’s Moon rocket launch remains on schedule for NASA. : After inspections revealed only minor damage from Hurricane Nicole’s passage over Florida, NASA announced Friday that it planned to undertake its long-delayed uncrewed trip to the Moon as scheduled next Wednesday.
Wednesday’s Moon rocket launch remains on schedule for NASA.
Senior NASA official Jim Free told reporters that there was “nothing blocking” a launch on that day and that crews from NASA had gained access to the launch pad on Thursday. The heavy lift rocket, the most potent yet constructed by contractors for NASA, is now scheduled to launch on Wednesday at 01:04 local time (0604 GMT), with a potential window of two hours.
Five decades after the last time people set foot on the moon, the unmanned Artemis 1 mission will get the US one step closer to sending astronauts back. The Orion crew capsule will be launched to the Moon by the rocket without touching down on the lunar surface. The mission, if everything goes according to plan, will last for 25 and a half days before the capsule returns on December 11 with a splashdown in the Pacific.
However, according to Free, the US space agency still needs to power up the vehicle and do a few technical checks before the launch. It might be necessary to replace one component that was possibly damaged on the rocket’s base. Three times in as many months, the much anticipated debut has already been postponed.
Free, who oversees the development of NASA’s exploration systems, said two backup launch dates have been set for November 19 and November 25 in case they are required. The rocket was pounded by category 1 Hurricane Nicole’s winds while it was positioned on its launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center. However, according to Free, the wind speeds were not greater than what the car could handle.
He did admit, though, that the SLS rocket would have remained in the vehicle assembly facility if NASA had been aware of the hurricane’s impending arrival. In order to protect it from Hurricane Ian, the rocket was brought back inside the structure in September. However, only a few days before Nicole arrived, it was moved back outside to the launch pad.
The flagship Artemis program, which aims to send the first woman and the first person of color to the Moon by 2025 at the earliest, will begin with the launch of Artemis 1.By building a space station in lunar orbit, NASA hopes to create a permanent human presence on the Moon. This is thought to be the first step in making the first voyage to Mars.
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