Washington (AFP) – NASA is considering September 23 and September 27 as possible dates for its next attempt to launch the Artemis 1 mission to the Moon, senior official Jim Free told reporters on Thursday.
Two previous attempts were canceled after the giant Space Launch System rocket experienced technical malfunctions, including a fuel leak. The start window for the 23rd would open at 6:47am. (1047 GMT), while the 27th would open at 11:37 a.m. (1537 GMT), added Free, associate administrator for the agency’s exploration systems development directorate. The dates were chosen to avoid a conflict with the DART mission, in which a probe will hit an asteroid on September 26 to test its ability to deflect the object. Both missions require the use of an international array of antennas called the Deep Space Network. However, the launch dates still depend on getting a special waiver from NASA to avoid retesting the batteries in an emergency flight system used to destroy the rocket if it strays from its designated range into a populated area. If it doesn’t get the clearance, the missile will have to be moved back to its assembly building, pushing the schedule back several weeks. Mike Bolger, director of ground exploration systems, added that teams are working to replace seals to fix the hydrogen leak — a task that could be completed by the end of Thursday, paving the way for a tank test in September 17. The Artemis 1 space mission hopes to test the SLS as well as the unmanned Orion capsule on top in preparation for future trips to the Moon with humans on board. Once launched, it will take several days for the spacecraft to reach the Moon, flying about 60 miles (100 kilometers) on its closest approach. The capsule will fire its engines to reach a distant retrograde orbit (DRO) 40,000 miles beyond the Moon, a record for a spacecraft designated to carry humans. The trip is expected to last several weeks, and one of its main goals is to test the capsule’s heat shield, which at 16 feet (5 meters) in diameter is the largest ever built. Artemis was named after the twin sister of the Greek god Apollo, after whom the first missions to the Moon were named. The next mission, Artemis 2, will take astronauts to the Moon without landing on its surface, while the third — set for the mid-2020s — will see the first woman of color on lunar soil. NASA wants to build a lunar space station called Gateway and maintain a permanent presence on the Moon to gain information on how to survive very long space missions, before a mission to Mars in the 2030s. © 2022 AFP
