NASA’s future lunar rocket makes its baptism … out of the air

The NASA’s new giant rocket It is scheduled to make its maiden voyage to a launch site on Thursday March 17, which, if confirmed, could lead to a flight to the moon this summer.

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The SLS Rocket will depart from the Kennedy Space Center Assembly Building in Florida at 5:00 pm (21:00 GMT) and will take eleven long hours to be hauled by a large tracked vehicle, the legendary launch pad complex 39B, located over six. More kilometers.

Astronomical costs

Because the Orion capsule is attached to its tip, the SLS rocket is 98 meters high, slightly taller than the Statue of Liberty, but 110 meters shorter than the Saturn V rocket that sent man to the moon during the Apollo mission. The SLS will generate 39.1 megahnion propulsion, however, 15% more than Saturn V, making it the most powerful rocket in the world today. “This is the identity of our country“NASA senior official Tom Whitmeyer announced this week in front of the press.

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Upon arrival at the launch site, engineers will have approximately two weeks to conduct battery tests prior to the launch dress rehearsal. On April 3, the SLS team will load more than three million liters of cryogenic fuel into the rocket, repeating each phase of the countdown for the last 10 seconds without firing the engines. The rocket will then discharge fuel to prove a safe stop Eve.

To the moon and beyond

In May, NASA aimed to launch the initial release window for the first unmanned lunar mission, the Artemis 1, which will connect the SLS rocket and the Orion capsule. SLS will first place Orion in low Earth orbit, thanks to its superior position, a “Trans-lunar injection“The maneuver is necessary to send Orion 450,000 km from Earth and 64,000 km beyond the Moon. During its three-week journey, Orion will send ten satellites called CubeSats the size of a showbox, which will gather information about deep space.

The capsule will use its thrusters provided by the European Space Agency (ESA) to orbit the Moon and then return to Earth. Its landing will take place in the Pacific region off the coast of California. We look forward to seeing the manned test aircraft for the Artemis 2 scheduled for 2024. The capsule will then orbit the moon, without landing there, Artemis 3, now scheduled for 2025, to see the first woman and the first person of color to set foot on the lunar surface at the satellite’s south pole. NASA wants to test on the moon some of the technologies it intends to use during future missions to Mars in the 2030s.

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Starship against SLS

Running SLS should allow it to join the category of launchers. “Super heavy“Currently smaller than the SLS, built only by the Falcon Heavy of Space X. However, Elon Musk’s company is developing another rocket for deep space: the starship, which is fully reusable and ready for orbital testing this year,” said the millionaire.

The Starship will be larger and more powerful than the SLS: 120 meters high, which can generate more than 75 mechnotons of propulsion. It will also be much cheaper. According to Elon Musk, a launch cost could be reduced to $ 10 million in a few years.

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But the direct comparisons between the two rockets are complex, with the SLS designed to reach its final destination directly, while SpaceX plans to put one starship rocket into orbit and then deliver it back with another starship rocket. . NASA has contracted with SpaceX for a version of the starship that will be used as a lunar descent vehicle for the Artemis.

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