NASA confirmed that it will try to finalize the Artemis I mission rocket launch the next November 14th. The unmanned spacecraft might not take off as planned, first due to technical problems, and then due to the arrival of Hurricane Ian, which hit Florida, from where the mission will depart.
The main objective of Artemis I is to test whether Orion’s systems, the capsule attached to the gigantic Space Launch System (SLS), can ensure safe re-entry, descent, splashdown, and recovery in a spaceflight environmentbefore the Artemis II mission that will return humans to the Moon.
Inspections and analyzes last week confirmed that minimal work is required to prepare the rocket and spacecraft for launch from Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center. .
The new launch window, lasting 69 minutes, will open on November 14 at 7 local time (8 in Argentina)with alternative dates on November 16 at 1:04 (2:04 in Argentina), and November 19 at 1:45 local time (2:45 in Argentina).
The duration of the mission has been fixed four to six weekslonger than any manned spacecraft has been without docking.
The route it will take will be 2.1 million kilometers, with several orbits to the Earth and the Moon. It will also deploy small satellites called CubeSats to carry out space experiments.
Fifty years following the last mission of the Apollo program, Artemis is touted as NASA’s new flagship program.
Upon its return, the capsule will travel at regarding 39,400 kilometers per hour and will experience temperatures equivalent to half those of the Sun. Finally, NASA will seek to recover Orion following its splashdown and then thoroughly review it.