Florida: NASA is preparing for the launch of the Artemis I which will “provide a foundation for human deep space exploration” and the capability to return humans to the Moon.
As per NASA, the Artemis I is the first integrated test of NASA’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the ground systems at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I is an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate the “commitment and capability” to return humans to the Moon and extend beyond.
The Artemis I will be launched from the Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on August 29, 2022. The mission has a two-hour launch window which is 8:33 am to 10:33 am (EDT).
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The mission duration is said to be 42 days, 3 hours and 20 minutes and the destination will be the distant retrograde orbit around the Moon.
The total mission miles will approximately be 1.3 million miles or 2.1 million kilometres.
If the space mission is completed, the return of the craft is set to be on the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of San Diego as its splashdown site with a return speed Up to 25,000 mph or 40,000 kph on October 10, 2022.
During this flight, Orion will launch atop the most powerful rocket in the world and fly farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown. Over the course of the mission, it will travel 280,000 miles (450,000 kilometres) from Earth and 40,000 miles (64,000 kilometres) beyond the far side of the Moon. Orion will stay in space longer than any human spacecraft has without docking to a space station and return home faster and hotter than ever before.
This first Artemis mission will demonstrate the performance of both Orion and the SLS rocket and test the capabilities to orbit the Moon and return to Earth.
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The flight will pave the way for future missions to the lunar vicinity, including landing the first woman and first person of colour on the surface of the Moon.
With Artemis I, NASA sets the stage for human exploration into deep space, where astronauts will build and begin testing the systems near the Moon needed for lunar surface missions and exploration to other destinations farther from Earth, including Mars. With Artemis, NASA will collaborate with industry and international partners to establish long-term exploration for the first time.