NASA has announced that it will be heading to the Moon again early next year. This will be the unscrewed Artemis I mission that will be launched in February 2022. The space agency finished stacking its Orion spacecraft on the Space Launch System recently.
Orion is touted as the most powerful rocket in the world. It will be lifted onto the rocket and testing will begin ahead of the launch next year.
“It’s hard to put into words what this milestone means, not only to us here at Exploration Ground Systems but to all the incredibly talented people who have worked so hard to help us get to this point,” said Mike Bolger, Exploration Ground Systems program manager.
Dress rehearsal before the actual launch
“Our team has demonstrated tremendous dedication preparing for the launch of Artemis I. While there is still work to be done to get to launch, with continued integrated tests and Wet Dress Rehearsal, seeing the fully stacked SLS is certainly a reward for all of us.”
The testing involves five different test campaigns that cover the interfaces between different spacecraft systems, testing systems such as booster thrust control, checking communications between the spacecraft and the ground, overseeing the countdown to launch system, and a “wet dress rehearsal.”
Wet dress rehearsal is where is fuel is loaded into the rocket as it would be for the real launch and the rocket is moved to the launch pad to practice the launch countdown. After the countdown is finished, the fuel is removed as practice for the time when the launch is canceled at the last minute.
Testing mission before sending astronauts
The Artemis I mission will launch the Orion spacecraft to the Moon, traveling for several days during which the ground team will check navigations systems and communication. The spacecraft will fly 62 miles above the lunar surface and use Moon’s gravity to move into orbit for six days. It will be collecting data before coming back to Earth.
The main purpose of the mission is to test out rockets and systems before sending a crewed mission to orbit the Moon called Artemis II, followed by a crewed landing mission on the lunar surface named Artemis III.
