The Artemis program is moving on the right track. NASA said that it has finished the work of assembling a mission rocket. The rocket is named Space Launch System or SLS. It is the first of its powerful rockets. The SLS will take humans to the Moon. The agency said that engineers have completed lowering the core stage. It lies in between two booster rockets that are small in size. According to NASA, this is the first time when all the three key components of the SLS have been put together in their launch configuration. The SLS is a super heavy-lift launch vehicle. NASA has designed the system for its Artemis program. It was announced in 2011 for the first time. The vehicle has replaced several planned launch vehicles. It will become NASA’s primary launch vehicle and be used for deep space exploration programs and a crewed mission to Mars.
The Space Launch System has a giant core stage. It houses four powerful engines and propellant tanks. The engines are flanked by two small boosters. The boosters are designed to provide powerful thrust to the SLS in the first two minutes when it is launched. NASA said that engineers used a crane to hoist the core stage. They transferred it to a vertical position from horizontal. They then lowered it to place between the two boosters on the mobile launcher. The mobile launcher is a structure that lets engineers access the SLS for multiple purposes like testing and servicing. The system will also be transferred to the launch pad. The first flight of SLS will take place next year when NASA will launch the first of the three planned flights. The Artemis-1 will be an uncrewed flight.
The first flight will see SLS taking an Orion spacecraft to Moon. The second flight, Artemis II, will fly with a crew. NASA has planned to launch the second flight in 2023. The first and final flight will carry astronauts to Moon. NASA has proposed to land two humans on Moon in 2024. The two astronauts will include a woman. This will be the first time when a woman will travel to Moon. A total of 12 Moon have stepped onto the Moon. Earlier in March, NASA engineers had fired the core stage engines for approximately eight minutes. This is the exact time the SLS will take to travel from its launch site to space. The test was successful. According to NASA’s claim, the SLS is the only rocket that has the capabilities to return humans to Moon. NASA wants to set up a gateway that will help in planning a crewed mission to Mars by end of the decade.
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