November 16 () –
NASA finally launched this November 16 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida its new lunar megarocket SLS and the Orion spacecraft on a six-week mission around the Moon and back to Earth.
Artemis I is the first integrated flight test of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, an uncrewed Orion spacecraft, and ground systems at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center. The mission will pave the way for a crewed test flight and future human lunar exploration as part of the Artemis program.
Takeoff occurred at 0648 UTC, 44 minutes later than planned because the countdown stopped at T-10 minutes. because a computer connection had to be replaced and fix intermittent leaks detected hours before during refueling of the upper stage with liquid hydrogen and oxygen.
We are going.
For the first time, the @NASA_SLS rocket and @NASA_Orion fly together. #Artemis I begins a new chapter in human lunar exploration. pic.twitter.com/vmC64Qgft9
—NASA (@NASA) November 16, 2022
Following Hurricane Nicole, which delayed this launch by two days, teams conducted extensive assessments of the rocket, spacecraft, and associated ground systems and confirmed that there were no significant impacts from severe weather. The SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft arrived at Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B on November 4 and rode out the storm there. Engineers previously rolled the rocket back to the hangar on September 26 in advance of Hurricane Ian. and after rejecting two previous launch attempts: on August 29 due to a faulty temperature sensor and on September 4 due to a liquid hydrogen leak at an interface between the rocket and mobile launcher. Before returning to the hangar, the crews successfully repaired the leak and demonstrated updated refueling procedures. While in the hangar, crews performed standard maintenance to repair minor foam and cork damage to the thermal protection system and to recharge or replace batteries throughout the system.
During this flight, heThe Orion spacecraft will fly farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown.. It will travel more than 450,000 kilometers from Earth, thousands of kilometers beyond the Moon and stay in space longer than any astronaut ship without docking to a space station and return to Earth faster and hotter than ever.
ALMOST A HUNDRED METERS HEIGHT
The SLS rocket, 98 meters tall in its initial configuration, is designed for missions beyond Low Earth Orbit carrying crew or cargo to the Moon and beyond, and produces 8.8 million pounds of thrust during liftoff. and the ascent to orbit a vehicle weighing nearly six million pounds. Powered by a pair of five-segment boosters and four RS-25 engines, the rocket reaches peak period in ninety seconds. After jettisoning the boosters, service module panels, and launch abort system, the core stage engines are shut down and the core stage separates from the spacecraft.
As the spacecraft orbits Earth, it will deploy its solar arrays and the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) will give Orion the big boost it needs to leave Earth orbit and travel to the Moon. Thereafter, Orion will separate from the ICPS about two hours after launch. ICPS will then deploy a series of small satellites, known as CubeSats, to perform various experiments and technology demonstrations.
As Orion continues on its way from Earth orbit to the Moon, it will be propelled by a service module provided by the European Space Agency, which supplies the spacecraft’s main propulsion system and power (as well as air and gas). water for astronauts on future missions). Orion will pass through the Van Allen radiation belts, fly past the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite constellation, and above Earth-orbiting communication satellites. To contact mission control in Houston, Orion will switch from NASA’s data transmission and tracking satellite system and communicate via the Deep Space Network. From here, Orion will continue to demonstrate its design to navigate, communicate, and operate in a deep space environment. the ship carries two sensor-laden dummies on board to record the effects of flight on humans.
The one-way trip to the Moon will take several days, during which time engineers will assess the spacecraft’s systems and, as necessary, correct its trajectory. Orion will fly about 100 km above the surface of the Moonand then it will use the gravitational pull of the Moon to propel itself into a new deep retrograde, or opposite, orbit about 70,000 km from the Moon.
The spacecraft will remain in that orbit for approximately six days to collect data and allow mission controllers to assess the spacecraft’s performance. During this period, Orion will travel in a retrograde direction around the Moon from the direction the Moon travels around the Earth.
For its return trip to Earth, Orion will perform another close flyby that will bring the spacecraft to within 60 miles of the Moon’s surface, the spacecraft will use another precisely timed engine ignition from the Europa-provided service module in conjunction with with the Moon’s gravity to accelerate back towards Earth. This maneuver will put the spacecraft on its return trajectory to Earth to enter our planet’s atmosphere traveling at 11 kilometers per second, producing temperatures of approximately 2,760 degrees Celsius. The Orion ship will finally splash down in the Pacific Ocean.
The second Artemis flight, now fully crewed, will fly on a different trajectory and test Orion’s critical systems with humans on board. The SLS rocket will evolve from an initial configuration capable of sending more than 26 metric tons to the Moon, to a final configuration that can send at least 45 metric tons. Future crewed exploration missions aboard Orion will assemble and dock with the future Orbital Lunar Link Station Gateway.
