CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) – NASA commenced a two-day simulated countdown on Saturday, a critical preparatory phase culminating in the propellant loading of its new lunar exploration vehicle. This exhaustive exercise is pivotal in determining the launch window for four astronauts embarking on a circumlunar trajectory.
Already in isolation to mitigate any microbial contamination, Commander Reid Wiseman and his colleagues are poised to become the initial human voyagers to travel to the moon since 1972.
The crew will remotely observe this full-scale rehearsal from their mission control center in Houston before proceeding to the Kennedy Space Center once the launch vehicle receives final clearance.
The colossal 322-foot (98-meter) Space Launch System rocket was positioned on the launchpad a fortnight ago. Should the fueling simulation scheduled for Monday prove successful, NASA anticipates the possibility of initiating the mission launch within a seven-day timeframe.
Specialized teams will inundate the rocket’s propellant tanks with upwards of 700,000 gallons of cryogenic fuel, halting the process a mere thirty seconds prior to the scheduled ignition of the engines.
A continuous, round-the-clock broadcast of the rocket’s status at the launch site is currently accessible:
A severe cold snap necessitated a postponement of both the fueling demonstration and the launch by two days. Consequently, February 8th now represents the earliest possible date for the rocket’s ascent.
Officials have indicated that heating apparatus is being employed to maintain the thermal integrity of the Orion spacecraft situated atop the rocket, and systems designed for purging the vehicle are also being recalibrated to accommodate the frigid atmospheric conditions.
Occupying the Orion capsule, positioned at the apex of the launch vehicle, the contingent of American and Canadian astronauts will traverse the lunar vicinity before embarking on a direct return trajectory, concluding with a Pacific Ocean splashdown without any orbital stops.
The duration of this exploratory mission is projected to span almost ten days.
Throughout the Apollo program, spanning from 1968 to 1972, NASA dispatched a total of 24 astronauts on lunar expeditions, with twelve of them achieving lunar surface excursions.
For its inaugural crewed lunar mission in over half a century, NASA has very limited launch opportunities available each month.
Further complicating scheduling is the imperative to dispatch a new crew to the International Space Station at the earliest feasible juncture. This particular mission has had its timeline accelerated due to the premature return of the preceding crew for medical evaluations.
Mission planners indicated on Friday that the lunar mission will take precedence, provided it can be launched by February 11th, the final available launch date for the current month.
Should this launch window be utilized, the subsequent crew destined for the space station will be required to await the return of the Artemis astronauts to Earth before their own departure later in the month.
NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway, a member of the upcoming space station crew, conveyed on Friday, “It’s profoundly remarkable that they are undergoing quarantine simultaneously as we are, and we are aiming to launch two distinct spacecraft around the same approximate period.”
He added, “It is an incredibly thrilling period to be affiliated with NASA.”
