The teams are progressing, but the Space Launch System (SLS) will remain in its gigantic hangar in February. Tension mounts around the Artemis program
but there are still several steps to validate before the Artemis I mission around the Moon.
On this file, the American agency does not really have the right to make mistakes.
No outing for Valentine’s Day
Since the end of October, the giant SLS launcher has been completely assembled in its metal case, within the vertical assembly building (VAB), at the Kennedy Space Center. It was supposed to come out on February 15 to be transported to its launch site, the LC-39B… but that won’t be possible: there is still too much to do for the teams before they can say that Artemis I is ready for its launch. shoot. And this, even if it is only a question of a set of simulated countdowns and a filling of the tanks, and not a firing.
The reasons are multiple, and NASA says in its press release that this is not a particular sticking point. There are the effects of Covid-19 of course, with teams impacted in December and January (the situation is currently improving in Florida), but also various tests which took longer than expected.
The SLS passes tests… More tests!
In November, all the interfaces with the umbilicals (which bring the fuel to the stages) of the launch tower were successfully tested. Then, it was necessary to replace one of the two controllers of one of the four RS-25 motors at the base of the launcher. And even if the SLS is inside its building, that did not prevent the teams from working on fictitious countdowns, conducted in conjunction with the Kennedy Space Center control center, but also with Houston. Enough to test the software (brand new) as well as the electrical and electronic interfaces of the rocket and the center on the ground.
Overall, everything is going well, but there are delays. In this month of February, it will be necessary to remove the scaffolding around the engine section, put thermal skirts around the base of the nozzles, and install the destruction system (safeguard) in case the launcher poses a risk during takeoff.
Step aside, we’re out!
The supposed “big release” date for SLS is expected around March 8th, currently. Take-off will not take place before April, May or June. Because in addition to the preparation of the launcher, the Moon must be in the right place to be able to go around it! It won’t be as big of a deal as aiming for another planet, but the shooting window is down to about two out of five weeks.
The American agency is under pressure for Artemis I to be a success, the sums committed to the launcher, to Orion, as to the lunar program representing several tens of billions of dollars since 2010. A failure would be inappropriate…
You have noticed ? No new missions left for the Moon in 2021. However, several of them were programmed by very different agencies and nations. That’s who will do more from 2022… But which ones? Here are some small reminders on the next attempts towards our natural satellite.
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Source: Spaceflight Now
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