[▲ThefirstSLSmachinearrivedattheKennedySpaceCenter39BTakenonNovember42022(Credit:NASA/JoelKowsky)】[▲LaprimamacchinaSLSèarrivataalKennedySpaceCenter39BScattatail4novembre2022(Credit:NASA/JoelKowsky)】
At the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, on November 4, Japan time, a new “SLS (Space Launch System)” rocket will be launched on the first “Artemis 1” mission of the “Artemis” lunar exploration plan led by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). ) ”Was moved from the assembly building to the launch pad. Artemis 1 is scheduled to launch on November 14, 2022 at the earliest.
Artemis 1 is an unmanned flight test of the SLS and the new manned spacecraft “Orion” developed by NASA. After being launched from the first SLS and flying around the moon, Orion is expected to return to Earth approximately 4-6 weeks after launch. Furthermore, with the first SLS there are also 10 small probes on board such as the Japanese “OMOTENASHI” and “EQUULEUS”.
The launch of Artemis 1 has been postponed twice since the end of August 2022 and the last time will take place on September 27, 2022 at 11:37 am EDT. However, as Hurricane Ian was approaching Florida, where the Kennedy Space Center is located, NASA postponed the launch and evacuated the SLS-1 and Orion to the Rocket Assembly Building (VAB).
[▲ThefirstSLmachinemadebytherocketassemblybuildingShotonNovember42022(Credit:NASA/IsaacWatson)】[▲LaprimamacchinaSLSrealizzatadall’edificiodiassemblaggiodelrazzoScattatail4novembre2022(Credit:NASA/IsaacWatson)】
The SLS, along with the mobile launch pad, was loaded onto the ‘Crawler Transporter 2’ transport vehicle (maximum payload of 8,000 tons or more) at 11:17 PM EDT on November 3, 2022 (12:00 Japan time on November 4, 2022). 17 minutes) began to move slowly from the rocket assembly building (VAB). About 9 hours later, around 8:30 am on November 4th, EDT (21:30 Japan time), we arrived at Launch Pad 39B, 4 miles (6.4 km) away. This is the fourth launch of the first SLS, including launch tests.
According to the latest schedule released by NASA, the first SLS will be launched within a 69-minute window of 00:07 EST on November 14, 2022 (14:07 Japan time) at the earliest. The mission will last approximately 25 and a half days and Orion is expected to return to Earth on December 9th. Expectations are high for the implementation of a historic mission that will be the first step towards manned lunar surface exploration for the first time in half a century, overcoming SLS development delays and three consecutive launch delays.
Source
- Image credit: NASA / Joel Kowsky, NASA / Isaac Watson
- NASA – Artemis (NASA blog)
Text / Matsumura Takehiro
