The first launch of the enormous Space Launch System rocket might happen as soon as late August, according to a statement released by NASA on Wednesday. However, agency officials emphasized that the dates are only estimates that depend on teams finishing off outstanding tasks.
During a media conference, Jim Free, associate administrator for exploration systems development at NASA, stated that "it's not an official commitment." We'll make the agency commitment just a little over a week before launch during the flight readiness review. However, these are the dates that the team is aiming for and planning to meet.
August 29, with the two-hour launch window opening at 8:33 AM EST, for a 42-day mission.
September 2, with the two-hour launch window opening at 12:48 PM EST, for a 39-day mission.
September 5, with the 90-minute launch window opening at 5:12 PM EST, for a 42-day mission.
Even a speculative launch date is a positive indication that NASA is on schedule to finish the last-minute tasks necessary to prepare SLS and Orion, the capsule that will atop the rocket, for launch. As part of it, the hydrogen leak that was discovered during the rocket's final wet dress rehearsal and that prompted officials to halt the final countdown earlier than anticipated must be fixed. NASA has also been hard at work installing the crucial flight termination mechanism, which will guarantee that the mission can be safely terminated if it needs to be after takeoff for whatever reason.
As part of the ambitious Artemis program run by the agency, this unmanned launch, known as Artemis I, is the first in a planned sequence of flights. The short-term objectives of the Artemis program are to send people back to the moon by the middle of the next decade. In the long run, the agency views Artemis as the start of a new era in space exploration, one that might send people further than ever before into the solar system.
NASA has a few specific goals for this journey. They include checking the launch vehicle systems, such as the communication and navigation systems, and retrieving the Orion capsule after splashdown to gather more information on its performance. Testing the heat shield on Orion is important because the agency wants it to carry humans to and from Earth eventually.
Although NASA has further launch options later in the year, a tentative launch date that is less than six weeks away is a positive development.
It's our first attempt to launch this vehicle, so we want to be sure that everyone understands that, said Free. "We'll exercise caution. We'll put in a lot of effort to reach the deadlines I provided you on those dates, and we'll position ourselves as best we can to feel confident about them.
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