CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — For the second time this year, NASA has rolled its massive moon rocket out of the hangar and toward the launch pad, aiming to send four astronauts on a lunar fly-around as early as next month.
If recent repairs hold and conditions remain favorable, the Space Launch System could lift off as soon as April 1 from Kennedy Space Center. Meanwhile, the Artemis II crew has already entered quarantine this week in Houston in preparation for the mission.
Standing 322 feet (98 meters) tall, the rocket began its slow, overnight journey — a 4-mile (6.4-kilometer) crawl — atop the same type of massive transporter used during the Apollo program era. High winds delayed the rollout for several hours, but the trip was ultimately completed by midday, about 11 hours after it began.
The crew — three Americans and one Canadian — will travel around the moon in their capsule before returning directly to Earth without landing. The mission has already faced setbacks, including hydrogen fuel leaks and clogged helium lines, which pushed the timeline back by two months.
While engineers were able to address the hydrogen leaks at the launch pad, the helium issue required additional work inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, prompting NASA to return the rocket there at the end of February.
The last time astronauts traveled to the moon was during Apollo 17 in 1972. Through the Artemis program, NASA now plans to land two astronauts on the lunar surface in 2028.
Original article
Comments