Initially scheduled before the end of the year, this take-off will mark the real launch of this program, with which the United States plans to send humans back to the Moon, including the first woman.
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See you early next year. NASA announced Friday, October 22, that it was targeting February for the take-off of its Artemis 1 mission. “The February launch window opens on the 12th and our last opportunity in February is on the 27th”, said Mike Sarafin in charge of the mission.
Initially scheduled before the end of the year, this take-off will mark the real launch of this program, with which the United States plans to send humans back to the Moon, including the first woman. The first test flight will take place without an astronaut on board: NASA’s new giant rocket, called SLS, will have to propel the Orion capsule towards the Moon, before the latter returns to Earth.
The rocket, with Orion at its top, is already fully assembled at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. It is almost 100 meters high. “This is a very important step. It shows that we are on the home stretch of the mission.”, commented Mike Sarafin.
At the beginning of January, the thrower will be brought to the firing point for a dress rehearsal. The vehicle’s tanks will be filled with fuel, and a false countdown will be performed. After this test, the exact launch date will be announced. If necessary, especially if the machine is not ready on time, other launch windows are planned in March (from 12 to 27) and in April (from 8 to 23).