For the third time, NASA is organizing the takeoff of its Artemis I mission to the Moon. This new attempt comes after months of waiting, marked by postponements and weather difficulties.
It’s officially a “go”. After months of difficulties and constantly postponed launches, this Wednesday, November 16, 2022 could finally be the day of departure for the first mission of the Artemis program. NASA confirmed on Nov. 14 that mission officials have given the go-ahead for the massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to lift off on Nov. 16.
From the tank filling operations, the situation can be monitored live. Then you can see the moment of takeoff — hoping it happens this time.
- When ? The filling of the tanks is to follow on Tuesday, November 15, from 9:30 p.m. (Paris time). Then, launch is scheduled for Wednesday, November 16. The shooting window, lasting 2 hours, opens at 7:04.
- Where ? It all happens at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The filling of the tanks can be followed on NASA’s YouTube channel. As for the launch, it can be followed from this other video, still on NASA’s YouTube channel.
- What ? The departure of the Artemis I mission to the Moon. The uninhabited Orion capsule, powered by the Space Launch System, must circumnavigate the star and return to Earth.
Live video of the filling of the tanks, from 9:30 p.m. on November 15:
Live video of the takeoff, from 4:30 a.m. on November 16:
Why has the take-off of Artémis been postponed for months?
Initially scheduled for August 29, 2022, Artemis I’s departure to the Moon has been postponed twice. The first time, it was an engine problem that had forced everything to stop. A leak of hydrogen (the fuel) in the Artemis I rocket had also been noted, but was then presented as resolved. Then, a similar leak occurred during the second take-off test, on September 3, again forcing the launch to be postponed. During a tank filling test, conducted on September 21, NASA had another bad luck, with a new hydrogen leak. This fuel is difficult to handle, but its performance is much better than that of kerosene, which explains why NASA persists in using hydrogen.
Hydrogen leaks were not the only difficulty encountered with Artemis I. The weather, to which rockets are very sensitive (more than planes), complicated things. At the end of September, NASA had to shelter the rocket in its assembly building, because of a storm. Shortly after, the space agency confirmed that the SLS would remain grounded for a long time, with no prospect of take-off before November. The SLS was put back on the launch pad on November 4, then the date of November 14 was decided for its departure. Again an ominous storm arose (even more so than the previous one), but it was decided to leave the SLS outside. The departure date had to be postponed again.
Add to all this that time is running out: the boosters for the Artemis I rocket will expire in December, if the mission has not yet been launched by then.
We can nevertheless understand that NASA is also cautious with Artemis I. 50 years after the last Apollo lunar mission, the United States is officially relaunching the conquest of the Moon with this mission. On board the SLS is the Orion capsule. For the moment, there are no astronauts on board, but this will be the case from the Artemis II mission (by 2024). The success of Artemis I is therefore crucial for the prospect of the return of humans to the Moon.
