Artemis 1: NASA launches rocket towards the Moon

A North American Space Agency (NASA) launched the most powerful rocket ever made for its next historic mission to the Moon. The Orion spacecraft, aboard the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, left the Kennedy Space Center, in Florida, at 01:48 am local time, 3:48 am this Wednesday (16) at Brasilia time.

The launch follows four last-minute cancellations in recent months due to technical issues and two hurricanes. The broadcast of the launch was made live by Youtube da NASA🇧🇷 The moment was also publicized on the agency's social networks (see the post below). The Artemis 1 mission is scheduled to last 26 days and still has several delicate steps ahead.

Launch of the Orion spacecraft

Around 3:XNUMX am (Brasília time), just a few minutes before the originally scheduled time, the US agency announced that there would be a delay due to the need to replace the internet switch, responsible for the self-destruction system of the rocket, which must be triggered if there is any problem that requires the mission to be aborted.

The launch took place just over 40 minutes after the opening of the two-hour window, at 03:47 am (Brasília time), from platform 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, in Florida. Approximately three minutes into the flight, the boosters had exhausted all of their solid fuel and were safely disposed of.

After about nine minutes of climbing to orbit, the second stage separated, and within 18 minutes, the Orion capsule's solar panels opened. At 53 minutes into the flight, a small shot from the second stage adjusted the orbit around the Earth. And at 5:14 a.m. a long shot – the translunar injection – took place, putting the spacecraft on its way to the Moon.

During that first orbit, Orion will deploy its solar panels along the way, no longer needing to draw on its battery power. The panels will be deployed in a load-bearing position in preparation for the perigee lift maneuver, which is driven by the ICPS.

Sitting in the command seat of Orion is Commander Moonikin Campos, a dummy who will help collect data on what future human crews might experience on a lunar voyage. The doll's name was chosen through a public consultation and is a tribute to Arturo Campos, a NASA electrical power subsystem manager who helped in the safe return of Apollo 13 to Earth.

The commander's station has some sensors located behind the seat and headrest, thus tracking acceleration and vibration during the mission. The mannequin also wears the new costume Orion Crew Survival System, designed for astronauts to use during launch and re-entry. The suit also incorporates two sensors capable of measuring radiation.

Two other characters in this story are Helga and Zohar, who are also in two other Orion seats. These mannequin torsos are made from materials that mimic a woman's soft tissues, organs and bones. The two torsos have more than 5.600 sensors and 34 radiation detectors to measure how much radiation exposure occurs during the mission.

The objective of the Artemis 1 mission

The trip should last 26 days, with a forecast of landing (as the landing is called, which in this case should be a drop in the ocean) on December 11th. Orion will be taken into a retrograde orbit far from the Moon, where it should stay for about a week. As the spacecraft approaches the lunar surface, reaching just 96 kilometers above the satellite's ground, it will begin conducting science experiments to test lunar gravity, the dangers of radiation, and even take some beautiful pictures.

Along the way, Orion will also deploy a few small satellites, called CubeSats, the size of a shoebox, to map the lunar surface, study ice pockets and test a space radiation shield. After that, the service module's engine must direct the spacecraft back to Earth. When it re-enters the atmosphere, it will be the fastest capsule designed to transport humans to do this procedure.

“What we seek with the lunar surface is derived from a willingness to explore science, not just to leave flags and footprints, as many refer to the Apollo mission”

Cathy Koerner – Deputy Chief of NASA

At the end of its busy tour, the spacecraft will return to our planet and prepare to dive off the coast of San Diego. After that, the team at NASA will extract the data and the Artemis 1 mission will be complete. However, this does not mean the end of the Artemis program, on the contrary, it represents just the beginning of a long space journey.

Plans for the future

The first manned mission is scheduled to take place from 2025, as recently the NASA announced some problems that made it postpone the manned moon landing. “We are estimating a no earlier than 2025 target for Artemis 3, which would be the first human-manned vehicle in the first demonstration of a vehicle that won a SpaceX competition.”, explains Bill Nelson, spokesman for the US special agency.

“For all of us who stare at the moon dreaming of the day when humanity would return to the lunar surface, we are coming back. This journey, our journey, starts with Artemis 1” Bill Nelson – head of NASA

If the first few missions succeed, subsequent trips will have astronauts on extended walks across the surface of the Moon — likely for weeks. It is also estimated that, in 2027, astronauts aboard Artemis 4 will implement the I-HAB module – an accommodation for crews that will explore the Moon from the lunar station. Gateway, still under construction.

Ongoing since 2017, the Artemis program has already cost $40 billion. despite the NASA is further ahead of the project, the mission also has the help of other foreign government bodies, such as the European Space Agency, of the EU (European Union), which provided the Orion capsule service module on Artemis 1 and also collaborates to build the I-HAB of Gateway.

In addition, Japan is also developing a cargo supply spacecraft to be used in the future lunar station. Canada is also present by designing a robotic arm for the station. Gateway. Finally, another 21 countries, including Brazil, signed the Artemis Accords – an attempt by Washington to establish rules for future international exploration of the Moon.

See also:

NASA presently retires the International Space Station (ISS), providing space for commercial private sector operations. See what the future of the ISS should be.

Sources: The Verge, TechCrunch.