After a delay of almost three months, the Artemis 1 rocket of the National Aeronautics Services Administration, or NASA, was finally launched last November 16, 2022, from the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island Florida, at 1:44 am EST (2:44 pm PHT).
Originally scheduled to take off on August 29, 2022, the rocket’s launch was delayed five times, over the course of three months, due to numerous technical problems.
The Artemis 1 is the first of three launch missions aimed at sending humans to the moon for the first time since 1972, to test the functionality and route of the rocket to orbit around the moon and land safely back here.
The test carries the Space Launch System, or SLS for short, along with the Orion spacecraft in an orbit around the moon. It aims to demonstrate that the SLS and the Orion spacecraft are ready for astronaut missions.
The SLS would be the biggest rocket designed to launch the biggest payloads into deep space. It is also special, having been created to be able to evolve alongside advancing technology. Its specialized design and interchangeable parts enable it to evolve alongside new technologies and mission goals.
The Orion spacecraft, on the other hand, is NASA’s vehicle for the astronauts to ride on when going to the moon, a lunar space station, and eventually, Mars. It is similar in design to the Apollo 11 spacecraft. It can carry up to four astronauts, but is much larger than Apollo 11 and sports new electronics and technologies that are much more advanced than the former.
Even without astronauts, this ship would not be completely empty, as the spacecraft can also house three humanoid passengers, and is designed to simulate actual humans in the setting of space.
It would also send off 10 CubeSats, mini satellites about the size of a shoebox, which are going to detach from the Orion spacecraft to further accumulate data on the moon.
The first delay on August 29th was because one of the four major engines had a temperature problem less than two hours before the launch. One of the engines was too warm to accept the hydrogen fuel used to power the rocket, with the fuel reaching temperatures as low as -252°C.
The second delay on September 3rd was due to a fuel leak in one of the engines. The hydrogen fuel caused a crack in the engine, so NASA engineers repeatedly tried to staunch the fuel leak during the Artemis 1 countdown. First, they tried to warm the engine and chill it with cold fuel to return the hydrogen fuel. Next, engineers tried to repressurize it with helium, and then returned to the warm-and-chill method to stop the leak. All three attempts failed.
The third delay was on September 27th. Hurricane Ian ravaged Florida, threatening the rocket. Engineers decided to return the rocket to its hangar on Sunday, Sept. 25, to allow for additional data gathering and analysis. This decision delayed a potential launch before Hurricane Ian arrived.
The fourth delay was on October 12th. Due to the potential damages caused by Hurricane Ian, the NASA team decided that it was not the right time to return the rocket to the launch pad. They need to perform standard maintenance to repair minor damage to the thermal protection system and recharge or replace batteries on the rocket, and the flight termination system.
The fifth “delay” was on November 4th, when the rocket was rolled out to the launch pad to prepare for launch. After multiple repairs and precautions taken, the projected launch date was November 16th, before hurricane Nicole struck.
But why so many delays? Shouldn’t the technology of our time prevent these? Didn’t Apollo 11 launch without any incident?
Delays like this are not new to NASA rockets, and the technology of this time actually helps reduce the degree of delays. The famous Apollo 11 rocket also had delays, with one that almost stopped its launch completely.
It can be remembered that on Jan. 27, 1967, a fire ignited in the Apollo 1 command module in the middle of a launch rehearsal, killing three astronauts trapped inside a hatch.
"It [the fire] both threatened the [Apollo 11] mission and made the mission possible," said Robert Pearlman, a U.S. space historian and the founder and editor of collectSpace. "It did set back the program for a year; they didn't fly again until 1968. But it also gave NASA the opportunity to step back, rethink its priorities."
NASA redesigned the hatch and enacted other safety measures, which ensured that the Apollo 11 mission wouldn't face similar obstacles in space. It then launched and landed the first people on the moon in 1969.
NASA did not want a horrific accident like this to happen again with Artemis 1, so they took extra precautions to make sure the launch went smoothly.
This launch isn’t the end though, as NASA aims to establish a crewed outpost and moon-orbiting space station called Gateway as well.
NASA plans to use the lessons learned during the construction of the infrastructure to help send astronauts to Mars, which the agency hopes to do in the late 2030s or early 2040s.
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