NASA issue statement after delaying first Moon mission in over 50 years
You wait for missions to the Moon, and then three come along at once. Well, at least that was supposed to be the plan with NASA's Artemis missions, hopefully putting mankind back on the Moon for the first time since 1972 with Artemis III.
There are Artemis missions planned to explore space all the way through to 2036's Artemis XI, but as we've already seen with the first batch of flights being delayed, expect those dates to change.
Before we get to take one small step for man all over again, thanks to Artemis III, we've still got Artemis II to get out of the way.
Planned as the first crewed mission of the Orion spacecraft, Artemis II is also a big deal as the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit and the first crewed mission around the Moon since Apollo 17.
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Carrying NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, the four-person crew is rounded off by the Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen.
Sadly, NASA has just announced that Artemis II has been hit by a delay, with bad weather being blamed for pushing back the critical wet dress rehearsal for the Space Launch System from its January 29 window.
The wet dress rehearsal is something of an important one, serving as the last big test of SLS before it's cleared to take the crew to the Moon. Unseasonably cold weather has struck Florida, with NASA referring to a "rare arctic outbreak.” With the wet dress rehearsal pencilled in for today (February 2), the launch will now happen no earlier than February 8 – pushing everything back by two days.
In a statement, NASA reiterated: "Teams and preparations at the launch pad remain ready for the wet dress rehearsal. However, adjusting the timeline for the test will position Nasa for success during the rehearsal, as the expected weather this weekend would violate launch conditions.”
Keeping us updated on the situation, NASA said the crew remains in quarantine, adding: "During the current cold weather, engineers have kept Orion powered and have configured its heaters for the colder temperatures.
“Purges, used to maintain proper environmental conditions for elements of the spacecraft and rocket, including the booster aft skirts, are also configured for the weather."
Due to a narrow Earth-Moon alignment, there are only a certain number of days in the month that make for a viable launch window. If the bad weather continues in Florida, this landmark mission could be pushed back even further.
Even though Artemis II won't get to see these astronauts put boots on the ground, it's crucial for testing the systems needed for a hopeful moonwalk in mid-2027 with Artemis III.
That crew is yet to be announced, and although Wiseman and co. won't get to step foot on the Moon, the importance of Artemis II can't be underestimated, as they go further into space than any human has in the past 50 years.