Washington: NASA’s rocket ‘Space Launch System’ (SLS) is expected to launch on the 29th. The rocket will lift off from the Kennedy Space Center without passengers. Humans will also travel in further journeys. NASA has announced that Artemis 2 will travel with humans in 2024 and in the next phase, women will also be passengers.
If it is not possible to launch on August 29, it will take off on September 2 or 5. The lunar lander will turn around and land in the Pacific Ocean away from California. The mission is in collaboration with the European Space Agency.
NASA’s new mission comes as five decades have passed since humans last landed on the moon. December marks the 50th anniversary of Apollo 17’s manned mission in 1972. With the successful completion of the lunar mission, NASA estimates that it will be possible to send humans to Mars in 2030 or soon after.
The SLS is more capable than the Saturn 5 rockets that launched Apollo. The Orion vehicle to carry passengers is also more spacious. Similar to SLS, the American entrepreneur Elon Musk is building his own rocket named ‘Starship’. These will also participate in NASA missions. Each lunar mission is estimated to cost $4 billion.