NASA has revealed that its mega-Moon Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, with the Orion spacecraft atop the mobile launcher is on its way to the launch complex.
The mega-Moon rocket – which marks the comeback of lunar exploration – offered the world the first glimpse of a space vehicle that has been in development for more than a decade.
NASA’s rocket is currently continuing its four-mile journey to the launch pad after leaving the Vehicle Assembly Building, traveling at a top speed of .82 mph on a crawler-transporter, a statement issued by NASA clarified.
The lunar mission – Artemis I – will be the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to build a long-term human presence on the moon for decades to come.
The primary goals for Artemis I are to demonstrate Orion’s systems in a spaceflight environment and ensure a safe re-entry, descent, splashdown, and recovery prior to the first flight with crew on Artemis II.
The total distance to be travelled is approximately 1.3 million miles, on a mission that is expected to extend between four to six weeks. The re-entry speed, according to NASA will be Mach 32 – which is 32 times the speed of sound – at approximately 39,430 kilometres per hour.
Once at the launch pad, the mega-Moon rocket team will begin final preparations ahead of the wet dress rehearsal test.
The rehearsal will run the Artemis I launch team through operations to load propellant into the rocket’s tanks, conduct a full launch countdown, demonstrate the ability to recycle the countdown clock, and also drain the tanks to give them an opportunity to practice the timelines and procedures they will use for launch.
During the approximately two-day test, teams will start by activating the facilities needed for launch and formally beginning the countdown sequence.
The team will staff the Launch Control Center at Kennedy and connect with staff in the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in the US, the Space Force Eastern Range, and the SLS Engineering Support Center.
Launch controllers will power on different rocket and spacecraft systems, along with ground support equipment.
Teams will then load more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic, or super cold, propellants including liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the rocket at the launch pad on the mobile launcher according to the detailed timeline they will use on the actual launch day.
They will practice every phase of the countdown, including weather briefings, pre-planned holds in the countdown, conditioning and replenishing the propellants as needed, and validation checks.
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