This Monday (29), NASA makes its first attempt to launch the Artemis I mission, the first test flight of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket with the Orion capsule, intended to take humans back to the Moon. The window of opportunity for the launch, which in this test will not have a crew, opens at 9:33 am (GMT) and lasts for two hours. Here in the Sidereal Messengeryou can follow the beginning of the mission live, starting at 9 am.
The countdown began 48 hours before liftoff, which is expected to take place from platform 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. But there are still challenges to overcome. Storms on Saturday afternoon (27) over the launch site caused lightning to fall in the vicinity of the rocket, captured by the surrounding lightning rods (one in tower 1 and two in tower 2). Apparently they were low magnitude discharges, but the occurrence requires checking the ground and vehicle systems. In any case, the count proceeded smoothly.
The weather forecast gives a 70% chance of good conditions for the moment of the flight – an encouraging prospect, especially considering the two-hour window. But of course, in addition to the weather, it is possible that there is a problem with the launch systems. It’s worth remembering that, in the last “wet test” (in which the rocket is taken to the platform and fueled, simulating all the steps until launch), the American space agency ended up interrupting the countdown with 29 seconds left. According to the technicians, the problem that prevented the achievement of the goal (reaching within 5 seconds of the simulated launch) was identified and resolved.
If it departs this Monday (29), the mission could last up to 42 days, making it the longest-lived flight by a capsule intended to take crew into deep space. Orion will travel carrying experiments and two dummies into a distant retrograde lunar orbit, before returning to Earth and sinking into the Pacific Ocean. If the count has to be stopped and the launch delayed, there are two reserve dates for retrying, September 2nd and 5th.
If all goes well with the test, the way will be open for Artemis II, the first mission to take humans to the vicinity of the Moon since Apollo 17, in December 1972. NASA hopes to carry out this next flight in 2024, with the possibility that end up staying for 2025.
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