NASA’s Artemis I mission was scheduled to be on its way to the moon by now, but due to various delays, the mission appears to be grounded for the next few weeks.
Here’s a look at where things stand at the moment for the moon mission after the failed launch attempts and delays.
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What is the Artemis program’s goal?
The main goal of the Artemis program, according to NASA, is to “establish the first long-term presence on the Moon” and to use information acquired “on and around the Moon” to send astronauts to Mars in the future. NASA also says that the United States will send the first person of color and the first woman to the moon during the course of the program.
The Artemis program is part of NASA’s long journey back to the moon since the last manned mission in December 1972.
What does the Artemis I mission entail?
Artemis I is meant to act as a test run of systems for future manned missions to the moon in the Artemis program.
NASA says the main goal for the mission is “to demonstrate Orion’s systems in a spaceflight environment and ensure a safe re-entry, descent, splashdown, and recovery prior to the first flight with crew on Artemis II.”
Artemis I will be unmanned and is scheduled to last 37 days, 23 hours, and 53 minutes, traveling 1.3 million miles during the duration of the mission.
The spacecraft will fly 62 miles above the surface of the moon and will remain in orbit of the moon for six days to collect data, per the agency.
When Artemis I returns after its 37-day mission, the spacecraft will make its splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off of the coast of Baja California, Mexico.
Why has the launch been delayed?
The launch of Artemis I has been delayed due to a hydrogen leak in “an interface between the liquid hydrogen fuel feed line and the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket,” according to officials.
The leak caused problems with the chilling process for the four RS-25 engines, which needed to be cooled to negative 420 degrees Fahrenheit. Engine Three was showing a higher temperature than Engines One, Two, and Four, per NASA.
The problem was persistent during the launch attempt on Aug. 29, which was scrubbed due to the leaking and the weather in the launch area, as well as the lead-up to the Saturday attempt, which was scrubbed due to the leak.
When is the next launch attempt, and will it actually happen this time?
NASA officials have not announced a new launch date but ruled out another early September attempt. The next available launch date is Sept. 19. Every day between Sept. 19 and Oct. 4, except for Sept. 29 and 30, is listed as a potential launch date by NASA.
As seen with the previous two launch attempts, no date is immune to a scrub, depending upon the conditions.
Officials have made it a priority to fix the hydrogen leak, but there is always the possibility of another challenge presenting itself due to the complexity of the rocket systems.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson firmly said that “we don’t launch until its right” in the aftermath of the first scrub, also saying that cancellations are a part of the business. He also recalled his own experience with scrubs on a space shuttle mission.
“We scrubbed four times on the [launch] pad, and the fifth try was a flawless mission. We know had we launched on any one of those scrubs, it wouldn’t have been a good day,” Nelson said.
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NASA landed on the moon in 1969. Why are there so many problems returning in 2022?
Although NASA went to the moon in the 1960s and 1970s, it doesn’t mean the endeavor is now easy 50 years later.
The Apollo program began test launches in 1961 with the test launch of the Saturn I rocket, taking seven years for the first manned mission around the moon in 1968, which was then followed by the first moon landing in July 1969.
The Artemis program did not form until 2017, with the to-be-launched Artemis I being the first scheduled spacecraft to the moon, followed by a manned mission around the moon in 2024.
The Artemis program also has more ambitious goals, mainly attempting a long-term presence on the moon rather than a three-day expedition. The Apollo missions had several major troubles of its own, including the fatal test mission with Apollo 1 that killed three astronauts in 1967.
