After Lunar Mission in 1972, NASA is gearing up for sending the first woman and the next man to Moon by 2024. With the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024, using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before. NASA will collaborate with their several commercial and international partners and establish sustainable exploration by the end of the decade. Then NASA will use what they learn on and around the Moon to take the next giant leap – sending astronauts to Mars.
Now NASA has revealed the update of the Artemis program which includes the phase 1 plans for the Lunar mission. The new NASA rocket, Space Launch System(SLS) and the Orion Spacecraft are in the final stages to be ready for the launch. The spacecraft is almost complete whereas the core stage and it’s four engines are undergoing final tests which will conclude by a hot fire test.
The Artemis Mission
After the hot fire test, the core stage will get integrated into the Spacecraft at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The Spacecraft and the rocket will be initially launched to check the performance and it’s communication abilities. The Artemis I is planned to be without the astronauts in 2021 and Artemis II will fly with the crew in 2023.
During the Artemis II mission, there is a plan to conduct a new test. Just after the Orion separates from the interim cryogenic propulsion stage, the crew will manually handle the Orion. This operation will help to know more about the Orion’s qualities and other software and hardware performance data which are unable to be accessed through a ground-based test.
In 2024, the long-awaited Artemis III will mark Humans’ return to the Moon. There is one more speciality to this- first astronauts landing on the south pole of Moon. After launching on Space Launch system, they will travel 240,000 miles to lunar orbit on Orion and then they will either board on the new commercial human landing system or dock to the Gateway to inspect it or collect the supplies before entering the landing system.
The astronauts use modern space suites which allow more flexibility and movement. After landing on the surface of the moon, they will collect samples and perform many science experiments for a period of seven days. Using the lander, they will head back to the lunar orbit before returning to Earth aboard Orion.
Work is rapidly progressing on the Gateway. NASA will put together the first two components to launch i.e., the power and propulsion element and the habitation and logistics outpost in 2023. This foundation for the Gateway will be able to operate on its own. They are useful for conducting remote science experiments when astronauts are not aboard.
Later this decade, there would be infrastructure developments for carrying out longer surface expeditions with more astronauts. This would demand an Artemis Base Camp which will include new rovers, power systems, habitats, and more on the surface for long-term exploration of the Moon.
The main objective of the Artemis program is to use technology and human intelligence to search and extract resources such as water that can be used for obtaining useful resources such as oxygen and fuel. By using the experience gained, they will move forward to explore the unexplored regions of the Moon.
Image credits: NASA
Learn more about NASA’s Artemis program at: www.nasa.gov/artemis
Author
