Artemis I will fly to the moon in February 2022

This will take place as part of the Artemis I mission, which assumes the Orion spacecraft will enter the lunar orbit and stay there for about 6 days, during which it will orbit our satellite several times – the entire duration of the mission is estimated at 25.5 days. However, the mission is unmanned, and its goal is to verify that the equipment is safe for astronauts who are expected to use it to reach the moon in 2024.

It is worth recalling that originally this launch was planned for 2017, but the problems with the SLS rocket caused numerous delays, the last of which was quite recently, because we expected the launch of Artemis I in November this year. However, it looks like it is behind us, because NASA has just announced that the SLS rocket has been integrated and secured on the Orion spacecraft. Thus, the system is ready for the last series of tests, and if all of them are completed without problems, the mission will start in mid-February (the window lasts around February 12-26).

– It is difficult to put into words what a milestone this is, not only for us at Exploration Ground Systems, but also for the entire team of talented people who have worked hard to get us to this point. Our team showed incredible dedication to the preparations for the launch of the Artemis I mission. And although there is still a lot of work before launch, we are continuing the integration tests and Wet Dress Rehearsal, and watching the fully assembled SLS rocket is a reward for all of us – comments Mike Bolger, Program Manager Exploration Ground Systems.

The mentioned Wet Dress Rehearsal is one of the most important final tests and only after its completion will NASA inform everyone about the specific launch date of the Artemis I mission. How does it look like? A few weeks before take-off, the SLS rocket will travel 6.5 km, on a special transporter reaching the Pad 39B starting field. There will be a simulation of the take-off, preceded by a full refueling of the rocket, during which the teams will be able to practice the launch sequence up to the last 10 minutes before take-off.

After all, the fuel will be pumped out and the SLS will return to its hangar for one more service. Later, there is only waiting for the February start, which is undoubtedly a very important part of the preparations for the manned lunar mission planned for 2024.

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