NASA has finished the construction of its first Space Launch System (SLS) rockets, which will be used to ferry astronauts to the Moon and back. Engineers at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center have assembled the 65m tall core stage that will be placed between smaller booster rockets, reports BBC.
This marks the first time all three elements of the rocket have been assembled in their launch configuration, the report adds. The SLS rocket is a part of NASA’s ambitious Artemis program that aims to put humans back on the lunar surface in this decade. The mission will be launched later in 2021.
Artemis Moon mission launch
The Artemis-1 mission will not have astronauts. It will send an unscrewed Orion spacecraft aboard SLS to the Moon while Artemis II will be the first mission to carry astronauts. It will be launched in 2023.
The SLS rocket packs a huge core stage that features propellant tanks and four powerful engines. All this is supported by two 54m long solid rocket boosters (SRBs).
These SRBs provide most of the thrust force required to take SLS off the ground in the initial minutes of the takeoff. Recently, teams at Kennedy Space Center used a heavy-lift crane to place the core stage, moving its position from horizontal to vertical. Later the core stage was lowered to place it between the SRBs on a structure called the mobile launcher.
Biggest rocket launch
This launch setup enables access to the SLS for testing and servicing. It will also be used to move the rocket to the launch site. The space agency has noted that SLS is the only rocket that can take Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single trip.
The exploration of the lunar surface with NASA’s Artemis program also involves preparing astronauts to send to the Red Planet Mars. This will be a part of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach.
Besides, NASA has announced that it will return to Venus with two new missions called DAVINCI+ (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) and VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy).
