The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is busy building the rocket for its first astronaut mission to the Moon in decades. NASA’s Artemis rocket took to the skies in November last year, and since then, the agency has started to assemble the rocket for the second mission. Artemis 2 will see astronauts fly around the Moon on a different path than the first Artemis mission, and they will use the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket which is the world’s most powerful launch vehicle. NASA is building the second SLS rocket’s core stage with Boeing at its Michoud facilities, and at the same time, also making parts for the rockets that will power the first crewed lunar landings of this millennia.
NASA Moves Forward With Building Key Components For Future Moon Missions
The Artemis 1 mission is part of NASA’s Artemis program that is stretched over this decade, with the final flight currently planned for 2029. The second mission is slated to take off next year, and NASA is already building the rocket for it and the next two missions. Artemis 2, slated for a 2024 launch, will fly four astronauts around the Moon, and given that the flight is successful, the next mission will lift off in 2025 as part of the first lunar landing since the Apollo program.
Powering the missions will be the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. This rocket uses four liquid-fuelled engines coupled with two solid rocket boosters to generate a peak thrust of 8.8 million pounds – making it the most powerful operational launch vehicle in the world right now. The four liquid engines are mounted on the 213 feet tall core stage, and for the Artemis 2 SLS rocket, NASA is currently joining the engine section to the other four sections.
At the same time, the space agency, along with Boeing, is progressing on assembling the core stage for the Artemis 3 rocket and manufacturing the five core stage sections for both the Artemis 3 and Artemis 4 rockets at its Michoud Assembly Facility.
The liquid Oxygen tank for the Artemis 4 mission’s SLS rocket core stage is currently being manufactured at NASA’s Michoud center. Image: NASA/Eric Bordelon
The space agency and Boeing have also started building a crucial piece of hardware for the fourth Artemis mission. As part of its journey to the Moon, the Orion spacecraft is powered by an Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS), which takes over once the main rocket separates from it well into its exit journey from Earth. The fourth Artemis mission will replace the ICPS with an Exploration Upper Stage (EUS), a much more powerful piece of hardware.
The ICPS uses a single RL10B-2 engine to generate 24,800 pounds of thrust, while the EUS uses four RL10C–3 engines, each capable of at least 24,340 pounds of thrust for a total of 97,360 pounds. The EUS can be pictured in the background in the image above, and the added performance punch will enable it to send 40% more payload to the Moon.
Once the Artemis 2 core stage is ready, and its engines are installed, it will be sent to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The ICPS for this mission is also being built, and as part of its launch activities for next year, NASA is also busy making significant upgrades to the Kennedy Space Center. These include building a massive new tank and overhauling the launch tower to support a crew.
The post NASA Puts Pedal To The Metal – Starts Building Three Massive Moon Rockets Simultaneously! by Ramish Zafar appeared first on Wccftech.
