NASA’s powerful new moon rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), recently made its way to the launchpad, gearing up for a historic mission. This mission will mark the first time astronauts have flown around the moon in over fifty years. The launch could happen as early as February.
At dawn, the massive rocket started its slow journey from the Kennedy Space Center’s assembly building, moving at just 1 mph. It took nearly a full day to travel the four miles to its launchpad. Families and workers at the space center gathered in the chilly pre-dawn hours to watch the long-anticipated event unfold. It had been delayed for years, making this moment even more special. NASA’s new administrator, Jared Isaacman, along with the mission’s four astronauts, led the cheers.
Commander Reid Wiseman shared his excitement, saying, “What a great day to be here. It is awe-inspiring.” The rocket, weighing around 5 million kilograms, was transported on a massive vehicle that has been in use since the Apollo days. This transporter was upgraded to handle the SLS’s weight, demonstrating NASA’s commitment to advancing technology.
The first launch of the SLS occurred in November 2022 but was an uncrewed flight. As John Honeycutt from NASA noted, “This one feels a lot different, putting crew on the rocket and taking the crew around the moon.”
The upcoming mission will not involve a Moon landing. Instead, the astronauts will embark on a 10-day mission, flying around the Moon. Wiseman, along with veteran astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Koch, is joined by Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, who is excited for his first mission. This flight will be a return to lunar exploration, with only twelve astronauts having touched the Moon since 1969.
Reflecting on the excitement, Wiseman said, “They are so fired up that we are headed back to the moon. They just want to see humans as far away from Earth as possible discovering the unknown.”
NASA is set to conduct a fueling test of the SLS rocket in early February, which is crucial before they can confirm the launch date. Interestingly, they have just five days to launch in early February, or the schedule will shift to March.
The Artemis program, which this mission is a part of, symbolizes a significant leap in space exploration. It aims to eventually return humans to the lunar surface, paving the way for future missions to Mars and beyond. As we look back, the Apollo missions set the groundwork, and now Artemis is ready to take that legacy further into the universe.
For more about the Artemis program and NASA’s plans, check out NASA’s official website.
