NASA's Artemis 1 moon mission still 'go' for Nov. 16 launch - Space.com

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NASA's Orion capsule and Space Launch System rocket get astatine Kennedy Space Center's Pad 39B connected Nov. 4, 2022. (Image credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett)

NASA inactive aims to motorboat its Artemis 1 satellite rocket connected Wednesday (Nov. 16), but a fewer boxes indispensable beryllium checked first.

Artemis 1, which volition nonstop an uncrewed Orion capsule to lunar orbit utilizing a Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, is scheduled to assistance disconnected from Florida's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Wednesday during a two-hour model that opens astatine 1:04 a.m. EST (0604). And the ngo squad is assured it tin deed that target.

"I consciousness bully headed into this effort connected the 16th," Mike Sarafin, Artemis ngo manager astatine NASA office successful Washington, said during a property briefing connected Sunday evening (Nov. 13).

"The squad is moving guardant arsenic 1 unit," helium added. "We've conscionable got immoderate enactment to do."

One absorption of that enactment volition beryllium a bladed portion of caulking called RTV that encircles Orion. The RTV helps creaseless retired a tiny indentation successful the capsule that could perchance origin immoderate unwanted circulation and heating of aerial during flight, Sarafin said.

Hurricane Nicole tore immoderate of that caulking escaped connected Thursday (Nov. 10) erstwhile it slammed into Florida's Space Coast, ngo squad members said. (The Artemis 1 stack endured the wrath of Nicole, which weakened to a tropical tempest soon aft landfall, retired successful the unfastened connected KSC's Pad 39B.)

It's imaginable that immoderate of the storm-torn RTV could shingle escaped during liftoff, creating a debris hazard for the SLS, Sarafin said. The squad is inactive examining the quality and severity of this risk.

"We request to conscionable walk a small much clip to reappraisal our formation rationale headed into this motorboat attempt, specifically arsenic it pertains to liberation of immoderate remaining RTV and debris transport," Sarafin said.

The Artemis 1 squad isn't terribly acrophobic astir accrued "aeroheating" astir Orion owed to the nonaccomplishment of immoderate RTV, helium added.

"We bash person protections successful spot arsenic it pertains to the materials that underlie that RTV," helium said. "This is conscionable an further furniture connected determination to make a benignant of a seamless airstream flow."

The RTV contented is not fixable astatine the motorboat pad, due to the fact that Orion sits truthful precocious atop the SLS. If the squad determines that the caulking needs to beryllium replaced, a rollback to KSC's Vehicle Assembly Building would apt beryllium required.

In summation to the RTV analyses, the squad plans to regenerate an electrical connector adjacent the basal of the SLS that's associated with immoderate wonky readings. This tin beryllium done astatine the pad. And it's little of an issue, Sarafin said, for the rocket has sizeable redundancy successful its electrical systems.

"We bash person immoderate precise good written launch-commit criteria that are precise good thought out," Sarafin said. These criteria, helium added, "would enactment flying successful spite of what this connector whitethorn bring. That said, we're hoping to get backmost to a afloat functional capability."

The Artemis 1 squad volition conscionable again connected Monday (Nov. 14) to sermon these and different issues. They program to clasp different briefing that afternoon, truthful we'll get an update connected the concern and the latest reasoning astatine that time.

Artemis 1 volition beryllium the first-ever formation for SLS and the 2nd for Orion, which launched to Earth orbit atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket successful 2014.

It volition besides beryllium the archetypal ngo successful NASA's Artemis program of lunar exploration, which aims to found a crewed outpost adjacent the moon's southbound rod by the extremity of the 2020s.

If each goes according to program with Artemis 1, Artemis 2 volition motorboat successful 2024, sending astronauts connected a travel astir the moon. Artemis 3 volition enactment boots connected the crushed adjacent the lunar southbound rod successful 2025 oregon 2026.

Artemis 1 volition past astir 26 days if it launches connected Wednesday. (Different motorboat dates pb to antithetic ngo durations, acknowledgment to orbital dynamics.) Mother Nature should cooperate; there's a 90% accidental of bully upwind connected Wednesday. If Artemis 1 can't alert connected that day, NASA has backup dates of Nov. 19 and Nov. 25.

Mike Wall is the writer of "Out There (opens successful caller tab)" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a publication astir the hunt for alien life. Follow him connected Twitter @michaeldwall (opens successful caller tab). Follow america connected Twitter @Spacedotcom (opens successful caller tab) or on Facebook (opens successful caller tab).

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Michael Wall is simply a Senior Space Writer with Space.com (opens successful caller tab) and joined the squad successful 2010. He chiefly covers exoplanets, spaceflight and subject space, but has been known to dabble successful the abstraction creation beat. His publication astir the hunt for alien life, "Out There," was published connected Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a subject writer, Michael worked arsenic a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. successful evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's grade from the University of Arizona, and a postgraduate certificate successful subject penning from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find retired what his latest task is, you tin travel Michael connected Twitter.

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