The launch of the Artemis-first mission, which was halted twice due to last-minute technical problems, will take place on November 14. The Orion probe and the SLS rocket were delivered to the launch pad. Final preparations for the launch are underway. The mission was postponed for the first time after a technical fault was found in one of the rocket’s 4 core stage engines. The launch was aborted for the second time due to a fuel leak.
After a long gap of more than fifty years, NASA plans to send man to the moon again. This is a first look at NASA’s Artemis mission. The Apollo missions that took many travelers to the moon were carried by a rocket named Saturn Five. Now Artemis is taking off on one of the most powerful rockets ever built in the world…the Space Launch System or SLS. Megarocket of the new era.
There are no passengers on this launch. This is an experimental mission. Orion, the part of the rocket that carries the passengers, replaces the passengers with puppets. Artemis is a critical turning point in NASA’s space program. Because of such an important mission, the SLS rocket was prepared in a very elaborate manner. It cost 600 million US dollars. It is estimated that each launch will cost US$ 50 crore.
SLS is a massive rocket 322 feet long. It can eject 15 percent more energy than the Saturn Five rocket. It uses 4 RS-25 engines that use liquid fuel. An orange heat shield system is used in this rocket. A Block 1 rocket was used for Artemis’ first 3 missions. A more powerful rocket called Block 1B will be used for subsequent missions. Orion, a passenger probe, is attached to the rocket as a special part. Orion can travel up to 21 days in space with 4 passengers. After the mission, it will fall in the Pacific Ocean.
The Apollo missions continued until 1972. A total of 12 people touched the moon in these missions, but then humans did not go to the moon for 50 years. NASA says that if the new unmanned mission, called Artemis One, is successful, humans could set foot on the moon in 2025. In Greek mythology, Artemis is the goddess of the moon and the twin sister of the god Apollo. This is why NASA named the mission to rewrite history as Artemis.
If the Apollo missions were a showcase of America’s technological prowess, Artemis is more a celebration of efforts to use the solar system in practical and research terms. The mission aims to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon, to be a base for missions to other places including Mars, and thus to become the axis of all human activities outside the Earth.
Artemis will take humans to the south pole of the Moon, which has many favorable factors including the presence of water, targeted by the Indian space mission ‘Chandrayaan-2′. The biggest feature of the new move is that a lunar station called Gateway, similar to the current International Space Station, will be created in lunar orbit as part of the Artemis missions. In subsequent missions, the Orion spacecraft accompanying the rocket (the passenger-carrying part of the mission) will separate and arrive at the Gateway. From here, travelers can land and return to the lunar surface in separate Lunar Module probes. In short, Artemis’ Gateway would act as a gateway or harbor to the Moon. Its service will also be crucial in missions to other planets.
NASA’s legendary Saturn V rocket carried the Apollo missions to the moon. A 50-year period of stagnation in the region eliminated Saturn V’s relevance. Then when the idea of ​​the Artemis mission came up, NASA considered rockets from many leading private companies such as Blue Origin and SpaceX, but ultimately decided to build a successor to the Saturn V itself. Thus was born the Space Launch System (SLS), a giant rocket. The most powerful rocket in the world. Three times the height of the Indian rocket PSLV, the SLS can carry a large payload, including the Orion spacecraft, moon landers and other equipment. This vehicle has been built with utmost care and the chances of breaking down are very low.
In 2005, the prototypes of Artemis were put forward by NASA as various projects. The male astronaut on the Artemis mission to the moon is also likely to be of Indian origin. This is US Air Force Colonel Rajachari. Raja Chari is among those selected by NASA for special training for the Artemis and Mars missions. Chari’s father is Indian and mother is American.
A post graduate in Aerospace Engineering from the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Raja was the Commander of the 461st Squadron of the US Air Force. Chari has been awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Aerial Achievement Medal and other top honors of the American defense sector.