Washington (AFP) Oct 22, 2021 NASA said Friday it is now targeting February 2022 for the uncrewed...
NASA said Friday it is now targeting February 2022 for the uncrewed lunar mission Artemis 1, the first step in America's plan to return humans to the Moon later this decade.
The space agency had initially wanted to launch the test flight by the end of this year, with astronauts on the ground by 2024 on Artemis 3, but the timeline has slipped back.
It achieved a major milestone Wednesday when it stacked the Orion crew capsule atop its Space Launch System megarocket, which now stands 322 feet tall inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
It will be wheeled out to the launch pad for a final test known as the "Wet dress rehearsal" in January, with the first window for launch opening in February, officials told reporters on a call.
"The February launch period opens on the 12th and our last opportunity in February is on the 27th," said Mike Sarafin, Artemis 1 mission manager.
These potential launch periods are dependent on orbital mechanics and the relative position of the Earth with respect to its natural satellite.
The mission duration is expected to be four to six weeks.
Although likely to be pushed back, Artemis 2 is technically scheduled for 2023 and Artemis 3 for 2024, humanity's return to the Moon for the first time since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter$5 Billed Monthly paypal only China's lunar samples reveal new type of basalt Beijing Oct 21, 2021.
An analysis of moon rocks brought back to Earth by China's Chang'e-5 mission suggests the samples are a new type of lunar basalt, different from those collected during previous Apollo and Luna missions.