Problems with the rocket engine

Expert explanations

“NASA has announced the Scrub program – which means the scheduled launch window has been canceled – because in the phase of loading propellant onto the plane, a problem was found that could jeopardize the mission. It often happens on missions of this size. Hopefully this is an issue that can be resolved right there on the launch pad to bring the decision in line with the launch date scheduled for Friday, September 2nd,” he comments to Corriere della Sera. Biagio Cutugno, responsible for operations ArgoMoon, The only European satellite on board the mission, designed and assembled by Turin-based Argotec.

NASA astronaut stan loveHe also told the BBC that these kinds of technical problems were “very common, especially for the first flight of a new spacecraft”.

NASA statements

Nothing to worry about, in short, for experts, professionals and NASA itself. Commenting live on NASA microphones: ‘Delays are very normal’ Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator and former astronautHe adds: “It’s a very complex system and everything has to work perfectly. I have personal experiences with other missions where we have delayed the launch four times. This is an opportunity to collect data and information to increase safety and improve operation.”

launch day

This morning everything was ready Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaverallaunch ramp 39B, for the first step of A mission to return man to the moon More than fifty years after the fall of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. If the next “walk” of man on the Earth of the Moon is expected Not before 2024, Starts today – August 29 – Test phase And prepare NASA to achieve the goal. And let’s start with Artemis I, The first mission to test the new space vector space launch system And the new spaceship OrionAt the moment, there are no astronauts on board. “The main objectives of the Artemis I program are to display Orion systems in a space flight environment and to ensure a safe return, landing, clearance and recovery prior to the first manned flight on Artemis II,” NASA explains.

Expected times

Today’s launch is set in a two-hour time span starting on 14.33 (Italian time). When will it start on 2 or 5 September lThe task will take 42 days, 3 hours and 20 minutes: We will travel 1.3 million miles (more than two million kilometers) to circumnavigate the satellite.

Today, August 29, around 10 a.m., operations began to refuel the rocket that will carry the Orion spacecraft into orbit. The carrier is called a Space Launch System (SLS) e As Giovanni Caprara explains herehe is stronger than ever. It is 98 meters high and can carry up to 30 tons to the moon. It was built by Boeing and cost approx $22 billion. Two solid-fuel boosters, positioned on either side of the rocket, and a central stage with liquid hydrogen, will bring the Orion spacecraft into orbit (where astronauts will be aboard in the future). From here, a second intermediate stage will take care of starting its engine to allow the spacecraft to reach the moon.

The real hero of Artemis I mission is Orionthe first spaceship – built by Lockheed Martin – for deep space travel (It cost about $14 billion.) Here, in the next mission Artemis II, he will be found the crew, consisting of four astronauts, will land on the surface of the moon. She is now traveling “alone”, on an important test trip (On board there will be mannequins equipped with sensorsTo understand the effects of travel on humans. “When you leave the Kennedy Space Center, you will travel more than a thousand times the distance that the International Space Station flies in low Earth orbit. NASA explains:

ESA . ​​unit

Service module instead of ESA. Why this? Here you will findThe power station that powers and propels a spacecraft into space. Provides propulsion, thermal control and electrical power generated by solar arrays. On missions with astronauts, the service unit will also provide life support systems for the crew, including water, oxygen and nitrogen.