NASA’s first step toward returning humans to the moon could take place on November 14. The US space agency has announced a new set of potential launch dates for its mission
Artemis I.
The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion capsule will be brought back to the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on November 4. The November 14 attempt would mean an early morning launch at 6:07 a.m. (French time) with a window of 69 minutes.
Initially, Artemis I was supposed to take off in August or September, but some technical problems, followed by the arrival of Hurricane Ian, necessitated bringing the rocket back to the hangar. ”
Crews will perform standard maintenance to repair minor damage to the foam and cork of the thermal protection system and will recharge or replace the batteries of the rocket, several secondary payloads and the termination system
», a
noted at NASA.
Two dates of “relief”
The date of November 14 is not set in stone. It will depend on the weather and the behavior of the rocket systems. NASA has already scheduled backup dates for November 16 and 19.
And
Artemis I takes off as planned on November 14, it will spend a little over 25 days in space and in orbit around the Moon, testing all the systems to prepare for the Artemis II mission which will carry a crew of astronauts. The return to Earth would be on December 9.
CNET.com article adapted by CNETFrance
Image : NASA/Ben Smegelsky