Once the Artemis II plan was completed, in which four astronauts orbited the Moon, the NASA focuses its efforts on the following mission: Artemis III.
In this sense, recently, the transfer of an important part of the SLS rocket from its assembly plant to the launch site.
Despite everything, the agency has changed the objectives of this next challenge, which will begin shortly.
The transfer of «the spine of Artemis III»
Following the recent successful test flight of the Artemis II mission around the Moon, NASA presented the core stage, or largest section, of the SLS rocket (Space Launch System) that will launch the project’s manned spacecraft Artemis III.
The stage started this Monday April 20 from the Michoud Assembly Facility, located in New Orleans, to the Kennedy Space Center from NASA in Florida.
Using highly specialized conveyors, engineers loaded the four fifths tops of the SLS core stage: the section containing the liquid hydrogen tank, liquid oxygen tank, intermediate tank, and front skirt.
Upon arrival, stage outfitting and vertical integration will be completed, and the agency’s Exploration Ground Systems Program will stack the rocket components in preparation for launch.
«Seeing the deployment of this SLS rocket is a «powerful reminder of our progress toward returning humans to the lunar surface.»said Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator of NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate in Washington.
«This is the spine of Artemis III. «As it heads to Florida for final integration, we are one step closer to testing the critical capabilities needed for Americans to land on the Moon and ultimately paving the way for our first crewed missions to Mars,» he added.
Con 65 meters high, The complete core stage will consist of the upper four-fifths of the rocket along with its engine section.
During launch and flight, the fully integrated stage will operate for more than eight minutes, generating more than 900,000 kilograms of thrust to propel astronauts inside the spacecraft. Orion from NASA into orbit.
The construction, assembly and transportation of the core stage is a collaborative process between two of NASA’s prime contractors: Boeing and L3Harris Technologies. The former is responsible for the overall design and assembly of the stage, while the latter manufactures the rocket’s RS-25 engines.
Initially, the goal of the astronauts The Artemis III mission, which will occur in 2027, was to land on the moon. However, recently, NASA reported that it postponed this purpose, which will finally be pursued in the program Artemis IV.
What does Artemis III intend and when does it start?
NASA decided to review and restructure the architecture of the space program Artemis III due to technical delays in the landers (such as developments by SpaceX and other suppliers) and to do additional testing before attempting to land astronauts on the Moon.
Therefore, its tasks were redefined and, currently, it is proposed test the rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and one or more of the landers they are working on developing—and competing— private companies such as SpaceX, de Elon Musk, y Blue Origin, de Jeff Bezos.
These couplings will not occur on the surface of the Moon, but in its orbit or in that of the Earth. The plan is similar to what mission 9 of the Apollo program didwhich tested the lunar module in orbit before the moon landing in 1969.
On that occasion, for the first time, the Apollo Command and Service Module and the Apollo Lunar Module were tested together.
During 10 days in orbit around the Earth, the astronauts separated the lunar module from the rest of the ship, entered it and piloted it independently, and then re-docked it. This was crucial because in the program’s moon landing Apollo 11, The lunar module had to separate from the Moon in orbit, descend to the surface and then take off again.
The task of human moon landing which was originally going to be done on Artemis III, was reassigned to Artemis IV, scheduled for 2028. If there are no setbacks, in that year, humanity will return to the lunar surface.
