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Two scheduled postponements. Two fuel leaks. Now Nasa is struggling to fix the problems with the Artemis 1 lunar rocket until the next window to space opens.
Artemis is the space program that will once again take man to the stars. First to the moon. Then – maybe – to Mars.
But so far the setbacks have succeeded each other. The Artemis program is several years behind schedule and has gone over budget by many billions of dollars.
On Monday morning, August 29, Swedish time, the first planned launch was canceled after a fuel leak was discovered – and thousands of traveling space enthusiasts had to return home disappointed.
The second launch attempt, on Saturday evening Swedish time, was spoiled by the same problem.
– This is a completely new rocket, a completely new technology, a completely new ambition to return to the moon and prepare a trip to Mars, comments Nasa chief Bill Nelson.
– Yes, it is complicated.
Battle against the clock
The next chance to launch Artemis 1 is between September 19 and October 4. That the rocket will be ready by then is unlikely, although Nasa says it is “too early” to rule it out.
That the rocket will be ready for the subsequent launch window, which extends from October 17-31, is also not certain.
– It really depends on what proposals the team comes up with, probably now on Monday or early Tuesday morning, says Jim Free, deputy director of NASA’s propulsion system development.
Leaky gasket is pointed out
Artemis 1 is refueled with nearly four million liters of liquid nitrogen.
The fuel leak is described as “large” and a leaky gasket is singled out as one of the “prime suspects”. NASA engineers fear that the gasket will have to be replaced.
The easiest way would be to carry out the change directly on the launch pad, but the risk is that the rocket will have to be transported back to the assembly hall – a more time-consuming undertaking.
To complicate matters further, a possible launch in October must be coordinated with a previously planned departure from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, when a rocket will transport new crew members to the International Space Station ISS.
First the moon, then Mars
Artemis 1 will complete a six-week unmanned journey around the moon. One of the primary goals is to test the lunar lander model Orion’s heat shield, which on re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere will be exposed to temperatures of just over 2,700 degrees.
Artemis 2 is scheduled to depart in 2024. The spaceflight will be manned but will not land.
In 2025 or 2026, the first manned lunar landing in over half a century will take place through Artemis 3.
If all goes well, a manned trip to Mars looms in the late 2030s. But then Artemis 1 must first succeed in leaving Earth behind.
Facts
NASA’s Artemis program
The Artemis program is the US space agency NASA’s plan to put humans back on the moon, ahead of a possible trip to Mars.
According to Greek mythology, Artemis is the goddess of hunting, animals and the wilderness. She is also the sister of Apollo, who gave his name to NASA’s first lunar program.
Twelve astronauts, all men, visited the Moon during a total of six flights during the 1969–1972 Apollo program. Now Nasa will put the first woman and the first non-white person on the moon.
Neither Artemis 1 nor Artemis 2 will land on the moon. However, Artemis 2 will be manned and the launch is planned for 2024.
The third launch will be the first manned lunar landing since Apollo 17 in 1972. For the first time, Nasa will land a spacecraft at the moon’s south pole, where water in the form of ice has been discovered. The launch is expected to take place in 2025 but may be delayed until 2026. The purpose is partly to create a base camp on the moon.
Source: AFP
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