The United States is officially entering a crucial phase of preparation for the first crewed mission to Earth's satellite in 54 years. At the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, final preparations are underway for the rollout of the 98-meter Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which is to deliver a four-person crew to lunar orbit. This is reported by Sky News, writes UNN.
Details
If weather conditions and the technical state of the systems are favorable, the large-scale transportation of the rocket from the assembly hangar to launch pad 39B will begin as early as January 17.
Logistics and final technical challenges
The process of moving the giant space complex with the help of a special crawler transporter will take about 12 hours. This four-mile journey will mark the beginning of the final tests before the launch, which will be the second in the Artemis program and the first directly with astronauts on board.
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Despite the approaching launch, engineers continue to work in an intensified mode. In particular, a damaged cable in the rocket's emergency shutdown system is currently being replaced, which was discovered during the last inspection. Specialists also assure that they have completely eliminated problems with the Orion capsule's heat shield and life support systems, which were recorded during the uncrewed test flight in 2022.
Crew and strategic importance of the mission
The historic Artemis 2 mission crew includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency representative Jeremy Hansen. They will spend 10 days in space, orbiting the Moon.
This journey is a key stage in the global space race with China, as both nations aim to be the first to land people in the Moon's south pole region. Acting NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Glaze emphasized that crew safety remains priority #1, so every subsequent step will be carefully calibrated.
Dress rehearsal before launch
After the rocket is installed on the launch pad and all ground support systems are connected, NASA plans to conduct a so-called "wet" dress rehearsal at the end of January. During this test, the SLS tanks will be filled with 3.2 million liters of fuel and a full pre-launch countdown cycle will be performed, stopping it moments before the engines ignite. The successful completion of this test will give the "green light" for the actual launch, which due to technical difficulties is already more than a year behind the original schedule.