The Space Launch System, or SLS, is an American super expendable launch vehicle that has been under development by NASA since 2011. This rocket is the largest and most powerful rocket that NASA ever created. The mission it’s designed for, known as Artemis I, is going to launch the Orion capsule to once again take American astronauts to the moon. NASA announced on Thursday that the SLS could be ready for its first launch as early as August.
NASA’s “wet dress rehearsal” consisted of fully fueling the SLS rocket’s two fuel stages with more than 700,000 gallons of liquid fuel. Things didn’t go to plan though, with the rocket experiencing problems stemming from leaks and faulty valves, which set the program back.
Even with these issues, “NASA has reviewed the data from the rehearsal and determined the testing campaign is complete,” the agency said, after being pleased with the results of the recent tests. “It was a very successful day, and we accomplished a majority of the objectives that we had not completed in the prior,” the launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said after the test.
And just this Thursday, NASA announced that they will not be conducting another similar test, instead opting to repair the hardware and push forward. According to Tom Whitmeyer, the Deputy Associate, “the team is now ready to take the next step and prepare for launch.”
NASA’s next and final step is to choose a specific date for the launch, for which the first window would be between Aug. 23 and Sept. 6. This launch will take place without any astronauts aboard but will then be followed by a manned launch to orbit the moon in 2024, and then a tentative date of 2025, to finally send astronauts to the Moon’s surface.
These new missions in the upcoming years could bring new feats and new discoveries to the ever-growing field of space travel. The 2025 mission could also bring never before seen information about the lunar surface, becoming a great milestone in human history.
Links:
https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/nasa-s-most-powerful-rocket-in-final-testing-before-launch/6509979.html
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1656024040979x347538458471001300/SLS%20moon%20rocket%20test%20declared%20a%20success%3B%20August%20launch%20possible%20-%20The%20Washington%20Post.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Launch_System
https://newatlas.com/space/nasa-launch-concludes-tests-sls-moon-artemis/
NASA’s “wet dress rehearsal” consisted of fully fueling the SLS rocket’s two fuel stages with more than 700,000 gallons of liquid fuel. Things didn’t go to plan though, with the rocket experiencing problems stemming from leaks and faulty valves, which set the program back.
Even with these issues, “NASA has reviewed the data from the rehearsal and determined the testing campaign is complete,” the agency said, after being pleased with the results of the recent tests. “It was a very successful day, and we accomplished a majority of the objectives that we had not completed in the prior,” the launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said after the test.
And just this Thursday, NASA announced that they will not be conducting another similar test, instead opting to repair the hardware and push forward. According to Tom Whitmeyer, the Deputy Associate, “the team is now ready to take the next step and prepare for launch.”
NASA’s next and final step is to choose a specific date for the launch, for which the first window would be between Aug. 23 and Sept. 6. This launch will take place without any astronauts aboard but will then be followed by a manned launch to orbit the moon in 2024, and then a tentative date of 2025, to finally send astronauts to the Moon’s surface.
These new missions in the upcoming years could bring new feats and new discoveries to the ever-growing field of space travel. The 2025 mission could also bring never before seen information about the lunar surface, becoming a great milestone in human history.
Links:
https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/nasa-s-most-powerful-rocket-in-final-testing-before-launch/6509979.html
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1656024040979x347538458471001300/SLS%20moon%20rocket%20test%20declared%20a%20success%3B%20August%20launch%20possible%20-%20The%20Washington%20Post.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Launch_System
https://newatlas.com/space/nasa-launch-concludes-tests-sls-moon-artemis/
