An analysis of the Artemis I mission last year shows that it is generally a successful event with some challenges with the heat shield during re-entry. NASA announced that the first crewed Artemis Moon mission will launch in November 2024. The mission will send a crew of four people to orbit the Moon but not land on it yet as it will be in the next phase of the program.
Artemis II Launch on Thanksgiving 2024
Futurism reports that the American space agency executives stated during the press conference on March 7 that what they have learned from the first, uncrewed version of the Artemis mission puts NASA on schedule to deploy astronauts to the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years in around 18 months.
Jim Free, the assistant administrator for NASA's Exploration Systems Development, stated on Twitter that the agency "is still targeting, approximately, 'November 2024' for Artemis II."
However, predicting Artemis II will launch in 2024 and doing it are two very different things. According to BGR, NASA is still investigating several issues, including why more of the material on Orion burnt up during re-entry despite the heat shield's design.
The American space agency was surprised by the quantity of material burnt up and noted that it would need to work that out before the first crewed Artemis Moon mission could launch.
For that reason, NASA has been improving the Orion capsule's re-entry burn-up to guarantee that the spacecraft's human occupants are safe when it returns to Earth's atmosphere after its mission. But even with preparations to conduct the first crewed Artemis mission in late 2024, space enthusiasts understand that delays are unavoidable.
If NASA has similar problems as they encountered with the initial Artemis mission, the launch date may be pushed back. For now, everyone can wait and enjoy the breathtaking vistas of the Moon supplied by Artemis I throughout its orbit around Earth's lunar satellite.
READ ALSO: NASA's Artemis I Moon Rocket Finally Launches to Space on Historic Return to the Lunar Surface
Artemis I Moon Launch Deemed Successful Based on Analysis
Artemis I's uncrewed mission to Moon is considered a successful flight that proved that NASA's deep space rocket, spacecraft, and ground systems are ready to fly astronauts to the lunar mission.
NASA reported that engineers had been extensively reviewing data from the mission to confirm initial observations from the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to Orion's 1.4-million-mile mission beyond the Moon.
Their analysis of the SLS rocket's debut flight shows that it flew as designed and precisely, meeting and exceeding performance expectations. More so, the rocket's interim cryogenic propulsion stage and Orion successfully separated that delivered the latter to its initial target orbit and on a trajectory toward the Moon.
Regarding ground systems, the launcher sustained more damage than expected from the 8.8 million pounds of thrust by the SLS rocket liftoff. But work is underway to repair the damaged components, which will be upgraded in preparation for the Artemis II Moon launch.
Teams have also extensively reviewed data from the Orion spacecraft to confirm its successful performance during its 270,000-mile journey beyond the Moon. It accomplished 161 test objectives, generating 20% more power than initially expected and consuming 25% less power than estimated.
Orion also completed its dynamic separation events without issue and successfully landed, even with some problems due to poor weather that moved its splashdown. NASA continues to extensively examine data for two observations from the flight and carry on with their analysis on the Artemis I mission.
RELATED ARTICLE : NASA Artemis 1 Shares Stunning Photo of Earth, Moon [LOOK]
Check out more news and information on Artemis Program in Science Times.
