CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.– NASA is now targeting early next year for the maiden launch of its next megarocket: the Space Launch System. The behemoth moon rocket, the very first since the Apollo program, is months behind schedule (it was at first slated to launch in November) however could now possibly fly Feb. 12 if its last tests work out, NASA authorities stated Friday (Oct. 22). Thats when the very first launch window opens for its uncrewed Artemis 1 mission around the moon, they said.The Space Launch System, or SLS, is the rocket NASA is establishing to take astronauts to the moon, Mars and other far-off destinations as part of the companys Artemis program, which aims to send out astronauts back to the moon as early as 2024 to develop a long-term, sustainable human presence on and around Earths nearest next-door neighbor. Its made up of 2 significant elements: the SLS rocket and Orion team capsule. On Wednesday (Oct. 20), engineers stacked the team pill atop its 322-foot-tall mega launcher inside High Bay 3of the historical Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The stacking marked the completion of a major turning point for the agency and its countdown to launch. In photos: The Orion space pill: NASAs next spaceshipTogether, the duo will fly the very first objective in NASAs Artemis lunar program, as part of an uncrewed flight around the moon thats targeted to launch early next year. The flight, called Artemis 1, is estimated to launch as early as Feb. 12. ” Completing stacking is a really important turning point,” Mike Sarafin, NASAs Artemis 1 program manager stated throughout a news briefing Friday (Oct. 22) to discuss the programs development. “It shows that were in the homestretch towards the mission.” During the very same instruction, Tom Whitmeyer, deputy associate administrator for exploration systems advancement at NASA Headquarters, informed reporters that the now-stacked rocket and team pill will roll out to their Launch Pad 39B in late December for testing, followed by a fueling workout known as a wet-dress practice session in early January. ” After the wet-dress wedding rehearsal, we will return to the VAB for more checkouts and then roll back out to the pad one more time,” he stated. ” Artemis 1 is the initial step in order to land the first lady and the first person of color on the moon,” Whitmeyer added,” Its a very crucial achievement for this country and were excited about the missions development so far.” The road to launchEngineers effectively finished the Umbilical Release and Retract Test on Sept. 19 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in preparation for the Artemis 1 objective. (Image credit: Frank Michaux/NASA) Engineers from NASA focuses across the country have contributed to the advancement of the SLS, with the bulk of the rockets hardware put together and checked in NASAs Michoud Assembly Facility (in Louisiana) and Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The rocket is powered by a core phase that sits atop four RS-25 engines (the very same kind of engine that was used on the space shuttle bus) and two huge strong rocket boosters that produce a total of 8.8 million pounds of thrust. The core phase and 4 primary engines were fired up twice this year as part of a hot-fire test that was implied to ensure the rockets components were working properly. The first attempt (on Jan. 16) ended too soon as the engines shut down just over a minute after ignition. The early shutdown was credited to an abnormality in one engines hydraulic system; that system apparently exceeded conservatively predetermined limitations in one parameter, triggering a shutdown, private investigators figured out. NASA chose to redo the test in March ahead of shipping it to the launch site.Once it showed up in Florida, the SLS was transferred to High Bay 3 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building– the very same building where NASA engineers developed the Saturn V moon rocket– where crews have actually been working vigilantly to put together the massive rockets different systems, which culminated in topping the lorry with its Orion team pill previously this week. The Orion spacecraft that will fly uncrewed to the moon in a few months is being connected to the Space Launch System rocket at the iconic Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (Image credit: NASA) Path to the padFollowing checkouts at the launch pad later this year, the SLS will roll back to its launch pad in early January for its final major test prior to launch: a damp gown wedding rehearsal. Essentially a fueling test, the testis the final checkout of both the rocket and ground systems. As such, NASAs launch team will pack the cars cryogenic fuel (liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen) into both the core stage and the upper stage. The groups will run through launch day procedures all the method approximately liftoff. The rocket will then be returned to its massive hangarto await its launch date. Sarafin stated the very first launch chance is a 15-day window that opens on Feb. 12. If that launch target remains fixed, a big obstacle for the agency, theSLS will roll to the pad six days prior to its organized liftoff on Feb. 12. NASA has a 21-minute launch window on that day that opens at 5:56 p.m. EST (2256 GMT), with its other opportunities differing day-by-day. Sarafin also stated that launch windows might be changed by a minute or 2 on launch day, depending upon trajectory analysis.Launch windowsAccording to Sarafin, the length of each launch window could vary from tens of minutes approximately 2 hours, with the very first launch period ranging from Feb. 12 to 27. He stated there are additional opportunities in March and April, with each duration open for approximately two weeks.” Were on for approximately 2 weeks, and after that were off for about 2 weeks,” he stated. When asked why the launch windows were so different, Sarafin stated that there are two main driving factors: the areas of the Earth and the moon, and a daylight splashdown for Orion. ” [The launch window] actually involves the three-body problem that were handling,” he stated throughout the briefing. “” We have the Earth turning on its axis. We have the moon setting about the Earth in its lunar cycle in its … lunar cycle. And after that weve got to head outbound, and then splash down in a set of daytime landing conditions.” But thats not all. The length of the objective will likewise differ depending on when SLS launches, says Sarafin. If it can get off the ground during the very first half of its first launch period (Feb. 12-27), the Artemis 1 mission would run for about six weeks, versus 4 weeks later in the month.Mission objectivesThe objective of the Artemis 1 objective is to put the launcher-capsule system through its paces ahead of its 2nd flight, and first-planned crew launch, Artemis 2. That flight is set up to blast off sometime in 2023 but would not arrive on the moon. Rather, it would orbit the moon and set the phase for a lunar landing not long after. Sarafin stated the Artemis 1 objective will also test how well Orion can return from the moon in lunar reentry conditions. As a reward, it will provide engineers information on how the automobile runs while flying through space. Orion will beam that data back via the Deep Space Network, together with some legendary selfies thanks to a couple of video cameras mounted on the spacecrafts solar arrays. ” Orion is going to take selfies of itself, and well see the moon in the background and way off in the distance,” Sarafin said. “Were going to see the Earth some 270,000 miles away, and really gain a new perspective for the Artemis generation.” In addition to the Orion pill, the SLS rocket will also transport 10 cubesats, or small satellites, which will perform a variety of jobs from studying the impacts of deep-space radiation on yeast DNA, to zipping a Near-Earth Asteroid with the help of a huge solar sail. Follow Amy Thompson on Twitter @astrogingersnap. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.
In photos: The Orion space pill: NASAs next spaceshipTogether, the duo will fly the very first mission in NASAs Artemis lunar program, as part of an uncrewed flight around the moon thats targeted to introduce early next year. The Orion spacecraft that will fly uncrewed to the moon in a couple of months is being attached to the Space Launch System rocket at the renowned Vehicle Assembly Building at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (Image credit: NASA) Path to the padFollowing checkouts at the launch pad later on this year, the SLS will roll back to its launch pad in early January for its last significant test prior to launch: a damp dress wedding rehearsal. Sarafin likewise stated that launch windows could be adjusted by a minute or two on launch day, depending on trajectory analysis.Launch windowsAccording to Sarafin, the length of each launch window could vary from 10s of minutes up to two hours, with the very first launch period running from Feb. 12 to 27. If it can get off the ground throughout the very first half of its very first launch period (Feb. 12-27), the Artemis 1 objective would run for about 6 weeks, versus four weeks later on in the month.Mission objectivesThe goal of the Artemis 1 objective is to put the launcher-capsule system through its speeds ahead of its second flight, and first-planned crew launch, Artemis 2.