BREVARD, Fla. NASA launched its massive Artemis I moon rocket early Wednesday, bringing the United States a step closer to landing on the lunar surface for the first time in 50 years since the end of the Apollo program.
NASA teams proceeded to fuel the 322-foot Space Launch System rocket with liquid hydrogen and oxygen at 3:50 p.m. ET — just over nine hours ahead of liftoff. The Artemis I launch was scheduled to start at 1:04 a.m. ET Wednesday, giving NASA a two-hour window to send the rocket into orbit, but technical issues delayed the launch time.
After no constraints were reported and all elements were polled a “go,” the new moon rocket launched at 1:47 a.m. ET.
“For the Artemis generation, this is for you,” said launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson shortly before liftoff, referring to young people who were not alive for Apollo.
The launch has been scrubbed and delayed four times this year — twice due to technical issues, once for a hurricane and once for a tropical storm.
At about 9:30 p.m. ET, NASA reported an intermittent hydrogen leak on the rocket’s core stage. About half an hour later, Blackwell-Thompson gave a “go” for the specialized “red team” to enter the launch pad to troubleshoot the issue.
While the red team completed the hydrogen repair by 11 p.m. ET, NASA reported a technical issue involving a radar. NASA’s Range Safety Operations was able to replace an Ethernet switch, a type of networking hardware, by 12:30 p.m. ET. Teams are moving forward, but testing will need to be done.
The Artemis I launch will send a new, empty capsule around the moon for the first time in 50 years. This first test flight is expected to last for four- to six weeks and will end with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
The $4.1 billion mission will allow NASA to verify the capsule’s heat shield during reentry. If successful, four astronauts will be able to strap in for the next moonshot in 2024, which will be followed by a lunar landing of two astronauts a year or two later.
50 YEARS LATER: US takes its first step back to the moon with launch of Artemis I
What is Artemis I?
Artemis I is the first part of the Artemis mission, with the goal of completing a lunar orbit. The mission debuts the Space Launch System rocket, also known as SLS.
The SLS will produce a maximum of 8.8 million pounds of thrust when it takes off on its first flight, “exerting more power than any rocket ever,” according to NASA.
The SLS rocket will travel 280,000 miles from Earth, flying farther than any craft built for humans, according to NASA.
The uncrewed Orion spacecraft, which is a larger and more complex successor to the Apollo craft, is stacked atop the SLS rocket. After liftoff, the Orion capsule will fly a 1.3-million-mile journey for roughly a month to the lunar orbit and back.
A successful return to Earth will let NASA determine if astronauts can be put in the capsule for a similar mission, known as Artemis II, in 2024. Then, Artemis III would put two astronauts on the moon’s surface a year or two later.
Mission milestones
The Artemis missions will land the first woman and first person of color on the moon, NASA says.
The purpose of the missions is to explore the lunar surface more than ever before and establish the first long-term presence on the moon, according to NASA. Scientific discoveries made on and around the moon will be used to prepare for missions to Mars — with the hope of sending the first astronauts to the Red Planet.
Why is there no crew on the Artemis I launch?
The purpose is to test the ship’s propulsion and navigation systems, and Orion’s life-support systems, according to NASA. Aboard the unpiloted spacecraft will be three mannequins.
NASA will put one mannequin in the commander’s chair and the other two in adjacent chairs to track radiation levels.
Back to the moon, again
The last time NASA sent astronauts to the moon was in December 1972, on the Apollo 17 mission — closing out the Apollo program.
The Apollo 17 mission was much shorter compared to the estimated duration of the Artemis mission. From launch to splashdown, the Apollo 17 mission lasted for 12 days, 13 hours, and 52 minutes.
Artemis I is expected to last from 26 to 42 days.
Contributing: Jennifer Borresen and George Petras, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
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