After multiple delays… “NASA” is preparing to launch the program to return to the moon

Is the third fixed? After two failed attempts, the US space agency is preparing (NASA) to launch its massive new rocket to the Moon early Wednesday from Florida, less than a week after it was delayed due to… Hurricane NicoleAccording to Agence France-Presse.

From NASA headquarters, the mission director said Artemis 1Well overdue, Mike Sarafin: “It’s almost overdue, hopefully Wednesday.”

The Artemis 1 mission, an unmanned test flight, represents the first step in NASA’s plan to establish a permanent presence on the moon and take lessons from there to prepare for a future trip to Mars.

Taking its name from the character of Artemis, Apollo’s sister in Greek mythology, the new mission comes 50 years after humans last set foot on the moon.

According to “Agence France Presse”, the SLS missile, which is the most powerful rocket ever made by the US space agency, is scheduled to take off at 1:04 am on Wednesday morning local time (06:04 GMT), provided that the launch window remains available for it. for two hours.

Indeed, the countdown has begun at the storied Kennedy Space Center, where the giant orange-and-white rocket awaits its maiden flight.

The launch was scheduled less than a week after Hurricane Nicole passed, and officials are currently assessing risks associated with the damage caused by the hurricane.

And if there are any problems, NASA can set a new launch date for either November 19 or November 25.

However, the weather is expected to be mild, with a 90% chance that conditions will be favorable for the launch, which was delayed more than once.

At the end of September, the missile had to be wheeled back to its assembly building to protect it from another hurricane, Hurricane Ian. Earlier, technical problems led to the cancellation of two launch attempts.

The first malfunction was related to a problem with a sensor, while the second was due to fuel leakage from the missile tanks.

Since then, NASA has modified its procedures to avoid heat shocks as much as possible.

The filling of the reservoir is now scheduled to begin on Tuesday afternoon. About 100,000 people are expected to be present on the coast to watch the launch, especially since the missile is expected to light up the sky over the region.

The rocket is supposed to launch the unmanned Orion capsule to the moon without landing on its surface. And if the takeoff takes place on time, the mission, which is the first within the “Artemis” program, will take about 25 and a half days, with the return capsule landing in the Pacific Ocean on December 11th.

NASA hopes the SLS rocket will succeed in its mission, especially since it took more than a decade to develop. And by 2025, the agency will have invested more than $90 billion in its new lunar program.

Artemis 2 is expected in 2024, similar to the first mission, but with astronauts on board. While “Artemis 3” will be held in 2025, and it is scheduled to carry the first human crew to the surface of the moon in more than 50 years.