NASA¹s Space Launch System rocket will launch with Orion atop it from Launch Complex 39B at NASA¹s … [+]
NASA
Late May 2022, but probably into June 2022 looks likely for the launch of what could be an era-defining mission for NASA as it heads back to the Moon.
What will ultimately be the landing on the surface of the Moon of the first woman and the first person of color in 2025 (or thereabouts) begins with the Artemis-1 mission, the first test of the space hardware.
NASA was thought to be targeting a launch in April 2022, but while that’s now slipped it did confirm in a teleconference last week that a full “wet” dress rehearsal—the final act before a launch date is set—will take place on March 17, 2022.
What is Artemis-1?
Artemis-1 is an un-crewed flight test mission that will fly beyond the Moon. It’s going to involve three slabs of advanced space hardware; NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) and its Orion spacecraft, and the European Service Module (ESM).
What will Artemis-1 do?
SLS will launch, orbit the Earth, and then send Orion and the ESM to enter an elliptical orbit of the Moon.
It will get to within 62 miles above the lunar surface and then about 40,000 miles beyond it. Three weeks later the Orion spacecraft will splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego.
During Artemis I, Orion will venture thousands of miles beyond the moon during an approximately … [+]
NASA
Where is Artemis-1 now?
Now in NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the SLS and the Orion spacecraft are undergoing final testing.
The hardware will rollout to Pad 39B for the first time at 6 p.m. ET on March 17, 2022 (a journey that will take about 11 hours) ahead of a full wet dress rehearsal—the final pre-launch test—which includes loading propellant into the rocket’s tanks and going through a full launch countdown.
When will Artemis-1 launch?
“The agency is waiting to for the wet dress rehearsal to see how we’re doing … we’ll set the launch date at that point,” said Tom Whitmeyer, deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development, NASA Headquarters. “We continue to evaluate the May launch window, but we recognize that there’s a lot of work in front of us and we need to make sure we get through that testing and evaluation activity before we set a launch commitment date.”
So following a successful rehearsal, NASA will roll the rocket stack back into the Vehicle Assembly Building for final checks and—finally—set an official target date for the launch of Artemis-1.
The mobile launcher for the Artemis I mission, atop crawler-transporter 2, arrives at the Vehicle … [+]
NASA/Kim Shiflett
When are the possible launch windows?
- May 7-21, 2022
- June 6-16, 2022
- June 29-July 12, 2022 (nut no July 2-4, 2022)
Exactly when Artemis-1 can launch depends on where the Moon is, the eclipses it causes in space that the solar-powered Orion will have to fly through, and timing it right so it splashes down in the right location.
“We’ve got the Earth rotating on its axis, the Moon going about the Earth on its 29 day lunar cycle and we’re also constrained by Orion’s ability to fly through eclipses exceeding 90 minutes for power thermal reasons,” said Mike Sarafin, Artemis I mission manager, NASA Headquarters. “We also want to hit a set of conditions at the landing site—specifically daylight—but also our range from entry interface to splashdown location.”
Inside Orion will be a voice-activated interface called Callisto, which will include an offline version of Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
