NASA is going to launch its very powerful SLS (Space Launch System) rocket in February 2022. The rocket is loaded with the space agency’s Orion Crew Capsule in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
SLS rocket will be going to launch the next generation deep space missions, including the Artemis 1 mission, on and nearby the moon. The mission was previously scheduled for November 2021 but now running way behind the schedule. The postponement was instigated by several issues such as lawsuits, cost overrun, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The U.S. space agency said that the combined system is arriving into the final stage of the preparation for an upcoming uncrewed flight test around the Moon.
NASA’s Artemis 1 mission will become the first footstep towards reappearance humans to the moon by 2024 on Artemis 3. Artemis’s mission will also be going to perceive the first woman and first person of color to footstep on the lunar surface.
The space agency further said that the mission’s February launch period will unlock on the 12th and their last chance in February is on the 27th. The next mission launch windows will be available in March and April. The launch periods of the mission are reliant on the comparative position of the Earth with respect to its natural satellite and orbital mechanism.
The combined structure stands 322 feet tall. The testing of the mission includes program-specific engineering testing, countdown sequencing testing, interface verification testing, end-to-end communications testing, and wet dress rehearsal testing.
Following the successful wet dress rehearsal testing in January 2022, the space agency will decide on the specific launch date.
SLS rocket is driven by a core stage with four RS-25 liquid propellant engines and twin five-segment solid rocket supporters which will create millions of pounds of thrust.
The last mission that took humans on the moon was launched in 1972 with Apollo 17 mission.
