The NASA Artemis moon rocket has returned to the launchpad after a challenging journey leading up to its groundbreaking mission. The Artemis 2 mission, a key part of NASA’s plans to establish a human presence on the moon, will involve sending astronauts to inhabit a lunar base.
Scheduled to be the first crewed mission of the Artemis program, Artemis 2 will carry three NASA astronauts and one Canadian Space Agency astronaut on a historic flight around the moon, marking the first human visit to the lunar surface since 1972. However, the mission has faced various setbacks and delays, including hardware issues and safety concerns, which forced a delay in the initial launch date.
One setback involved the discovery of a liquid hydrogen leak during pre-flight tests, leading to the cancellation of the planned February 8 launch. Subsequently, a problem was identified in the flow of helium used to purge the spacecraft engines later in the month.
Despite these challenges, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman acknowledged the difficulties faced by the agency, comparing them to the setbacks encountered during NASA’s early moon missions in the 1960s. The massive moon rocket, known as the Space Launch System (SLS), was rolled out of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the Kennedy Space Centre on March 20 and is now positioned on the launchpad in preparation for the upcoming mission.
With a target launch date of April 1, NASA is working towards the first crewed lunar exploration mission in over five decades. If the launch is delayed beyond April 6, mission managers will aim for a launch date of April 30. The Artemis mission is a significant step in NASA’s mission to return astronauts to the moon and establish a sustained presence through a moon base.
Following the upcoming Artemis 2 mission, which will involve a 10-day journey around the moon aboard the Orion spacecraft, NASA plans to launch the uncrewed Artemis 1 mission in November 2022. This mission will deliver the Orion spacecraft into lunar orbit for an extended period before returning to Earth.
The Artemis 2 mission presents a unique opportunity for humans to revisit lunar orbit, a feat not accomplished since NASA’s Apollo 17 mission in 1972. The anticipated launch on April 1 can be viewed through live coverage provided by The Mirror in their Live Blog.
