NASA will test its giant rocket to return to the moon next February, after several delays

In February 2022, NASA scheduled the first test flight of the Space Launch System (SLS), the giant rocket that the US space agency intends to use to return to explore the Moon with astronauts and astronauts, as part of the program. Artemis. The launch aired in early 2022 last summer, but official confirmations were expected: in the event of technical problems, it could be postponed to March or April. Initially, the SLS was supposed to appear for the first time in 2017, but the launch was gradually delayed due to technical problems, a significant increase in costs and problems in project management.

On top of the SLS, a thirty-story (98 m) building will be Orion, the transport capsule developed by NASA for deep space exploration.

The inaugural February mission, called Artemis I, will have no crew on board and will be used to test the launch system and space capsule, on a trip around the moon that will last between 4 and 6 weeks depending on our website. Earth’s natural satellite at launch.

If Artemis I is successful, NASA will continue the Artemis II mission, the first on-board manned mission that will make a trip around the Moon, but without a lunar landing. A date for the second mission has not yet been set, but it should be organized in 2023, according to unofficial reports so far.

In the meantime, NASA will have to provide development for missing Orion parts, new crew suits and verification that development activities are underway for the following missions, which will require the use of an orbiting lunar-to-moon transmission system.

Assembling Titanic Above SLS (NASA)

For the first missions, it will be up to SpaceX to manage one with a large spaceship still in development. Elon Musk recently received a contract for lunar activities from NASA, but the contract Challenged by Blue Origin, the space company of Jeff Bezos, and there are concerns about any delays due to litigation.

NASA aims to return to the Moon, where the first astronauts and first black people will land there, by the end of 2024, but according to many observers, the deadline is difficult to meet due to a lot of work to be done and delays. from the system.