After conducting a final fueling test last week, NASA decided to launch Artemis I in late August at the Kennedy Space Center. This will be the first flight of the Artemis Mission, NASA’s latest program aimed to prepare human exploration of Mars.
The first step of the ambitious project is to return astronauts back to the Moon. This launch, Artemis I, would send an uncrewed spacecraft to collect information about the lunar surface. It would be followed by a regular cadence of Artemis Mission with astronauts on and around the Moon.
Last Monday, the Artemis team, led by Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, conducted the fourth and final test before the launch. During the test, NASA had fully fueled 700,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen into what was said to be the most powerful rocket, the Space Launching System (SLS), capable of providing 8.8 million pounds of thrust to Artemis I. “It was a very successful day” said Thompson, who was delighted by the results as the team accomplished most of their objectives. The only caveat was a hydrogen leak discovered at the end of the test when there was 29 seconds to go.
Initially, with previous problems such as a valve crack and a malfunction of the launch tower, NASA was slightly worried about their launch. Right after the test, officials said that they were unsure whether they would do the test again. Last Thursday, however, the agency concluded that they had sufficient data to proceed with the launch. According to NASA, the first launch would come between August 23rd and September 6th.
The first step of the ambitious project is to return astronauts back to the Moon. This launch, Artemis I, would send an uncrewed spacecraft to collect information about the lunar surface. It would be followed by a regular cadence of Artemis Mission with astronauts on and around the Moon.
Last Monday, the Artemis team, led by Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, conducted the fourth and final test before the launch. During the test, NASA had fully fueled 700,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen into what was said to be the most powerful rocket, the Space Launching System (SLS), capable of providing 8.8 million pounds of thrust to Artemis I. “It was a very successful day” said Thompson, who was delighted by the results as the team accomplished most of their objectives. The only caveat was a hydrogen leak discovered at the end of the test when there was 29 seconds to go.
Initially, with previous problems such as a valve crack and a malfunction of the launch tower, NASA was slightly worried about their launch. Right after the test, officials said that they were unsure whether they would do the test again. Last Thursday, however, the agency concluded that they had sufficient data to proceed with the launch. According to NASA, the first launch would come between August 23rd and September 6th.
