It has been over five decades since humans last set foot on the moon, but a significant change is on the horizon. NASA’s ambitious Artemis program is gearing up for a groundbreaking mission called Artemis II. This mission will see four astronauts, including Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, and NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman, and Victor Glover, orbiting the moon. The scheduled launch date for this mission is no earlier than February 6.
Before the four astronauts embark on this historic journey, both the rocket and the spacecraft must undergo thorough checks. The spotlight is now on the rollout of the colossal 100-meter tall Space Launch System (SLS), set to take place on Saturday. John Honeycutt, the Artemis II mission management team chair, expressed his excitement during a recent press conference, emphasizing the historic significance of the upcoming event.
The SLS and the Orion spacecraft, where the astronauts will reside for ten days, have only been launched once for the uncrewed Artemis I mission around the moon in 2022. Now, they are prepared to carry human passengers. While the astronauts on Artemis II will not touch down on the lunar surface, they will engage in lunar surveillance, experiments, and spacecraft testing in readiness for Artemis III, where astronauts are set to walk on the moon, a mission planned for no earlier than 2028.
The rollout of the rocket is scheduled for 7 a.m. ET on Saturday and will be a gradual process, taking approximately eight to 12 hours for the five million-kilogram rocket to reach its destination. The crew access arm, through which the astronauts will board the rocket on launch day, will be retracted, a procedure expected to take about 45 minutes.
Once the rocket is in place, all necessary connections will be established over the following day. Subsequently, the wet dress rehearsal will take place, simulating a launch day scenario where the rocket is fueled with propellant, and all launch preparations are tested. The countdown will cease at T-29 seconds during this rehearsal phase, ensuring that all systems are functioning correctly before the actual launch.
Wet dress rehearsals are pivotal as they mimic launch conditions, requiring near-perfect performance before the final launch approval is granted. Artemis I underwent four wet dress rehearsals over several months before receiving clearance for launch. Addressing concerns about the timing of the Feb. 2 rehearsal in relation to the Feb. 6 launch window, Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, the Artemis launch director, emphasized the valuable lessons learned from Artemis I’s test flight.
