NASA’s giant SLS rocket will not launch for the first time in February either, the reason being a problem with the engine control system that has now been discovered. This was announced by the US space agency and added that the first start of the space launch system is now being targeted in March or April of next year.
The problem was found in the control of one of the RS-25 engines, so the backup channel for communication with the rocket did not work. After a review it was decided to replace the component, which upset the most recent schedule. In the meantime, the underlying cause of the malfunction should be looked for further.
Starship in orbit in front of the SLS?
In the history of the SLS, which is rich in delays, this is a further, if initially rather minor, setback. Years ago, the world’s most powerful rocket was supposed to take off and prepare for the return of humans to the moon. Together with the Orion space capsule and the planned Lunar Gateway space station, it is intended to form the foundation of the remote missions on which the US space agency intends to focus in the future. In any case, that’s still NASA’s plan, even if Elon Musk’s space company SpaceX is making immense strides in developing the even larger Starship rocket. It should reach orbit for the first time in January, but SpaceX is planning dozens more launches this year.
The first flight of the Space Launch System is actually supposed to usher in the Artemis program as Artemis-1, which is supposed to bring “the first woman and the first person of color” to the moon in a few years’ time. On the unmanned mission, an Orion space capsule is to be shot to the moon and pivoted into orbit there for several weeks. A start date in November of this year was last postponed to February, now it will not be until spring at the earliest. Artemis-2 should actually have people flying around the moon when an SLS is started for the second time, but NASA is currently planning another unmanned test beforehand. In Artemis-3, humans should “not land on Earth’s satellite before 2025”.
(mho)