NASA’s Artemis 1 Moon Rocket Lifespan Ticking as Boosters May Expire in December

There are some upcoming lifecycle milestones that NASA will need to keep an eye on, notably the rocket boosters, as the space agency gets ready for the third Artemis 1 launch attempt this month.

Additionally, the SLS has a lot of deadlines that are related to wear and tear. Since October 2021, the Orion spacecraft has been completely packed atop the SLS, which weighs around 5.75 million pounds.

The SLS and Orion will be launched on the Artemis 1 test mission a third time on November 16 after Tropical Storm Nicole forced NASA to postpone the last launch attempt. There are backup dates available later this month and in December.

Still, NASA promises that crews are prepared to pick up where they left off as soon as the tropical storm has crossed the Florida coast.

(Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Artemis 1, an uncrewed test flight, will feature the first blastoff of the massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which will be the most powerful in the world when it goes into operation. It will propel the Orion crew capsule into orbit around the Moon. The spacecraft will remain in space for 42 days before returning to Earth.

NASA's Rocket Boosters For Artemis 1 SLS Rocket About to Expire

As a result of the most recent deferral of the program, as reported by Space.com, there are now concerns that part of the Artemis 1 moon mission gear may become outdated before launching.

For instance, the two solid rocket boosters for the mission, which Northrop Grumman developed, have a number of crucial deadlines. Whether Artemis 1 doesn't launch by the middle of December, NASA will need to check the rockets to see if they can still be fired with their existing expiration dates.

Several booster components for the SLS vehicle are approaching their existing expiration dates, according to the team's most recent analyses, NASA officials told reporters at a media briefing on November 3.

According to Cliff Lanham, senior vehicle operations manager for the KSC Exploration Ground Systems Program, a countdown starts as soon as a rocket is stacked. Consequently, the timer on the Artemis 1 vehicle is presently expiring.

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According to Lanham, one portion expires on December 9 and another on December 14. On December 15, a different environmental exposure will also expire.

According to Jim Free, associate administrator of the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters, if the moon mission is unable to launch by those dates, further research will need to be done to see whether the rockets' expiration dates may be extended.

NASA's moon rocket generates 8.8 million pounds of power during liftoff using a core stage with RS-25 engines and two side solid rocket boosters, or SRBs, to enter orbit.

According to NASA, the 177-foot-tall SRBs constructed by Northrop Grumman have been piled since March 2021, weighing around 1.6 million pounds.

Flight Termination System Another Issue

Because of safety, SLS hardware has another deadline. The flight termination system (FTS) certification, which guarantees that if the rocket deviates off course, it would explode and not hurt the public, begins to run out once the SLS is on the launchpad. A flight termination system is necessary on all rockets, Fox Weather said.

Before the most recent launch attempt, the SLS was brought out to launchpad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center on November 4.

Fox Weather, citing the U.S. Space Force, added that the flight termination system batteries last for 25 days before needing to be changed. When NASA attempted to launch the rocket again in September, it was given a waiver to extend the deadline. However, Hurricane Ian caused the SLS to be wheeled back into the Vehicle Assembly Building. The batteries were changed at the hangar and now have a 25-day lifespan.