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If all else fails, the first manned lunar mission since the 1970s will launch in early March. The American space agency NASA announced this. The first launch opportunity is on March 6.
Yesterday and last night, for the second time in a few weeks, a dress rehearsal was completed for the launch. The tanks of the various engines were filled with liquid hydrogen.
That didn’t go well at the first dress rehearsal. Leaks occurred when refueling. NASA aborted the test and had to look for the cause. Some seals were replaced at the bottom of the rocket on the mobile launch pad.
The second wet dress rehearsal went without any major problems. A countdown was performed as it would be during the real launch. The clock was stopped, as planned, 29 seconds before the start. “A big step towards America’s return to the moon,” NASA boss Jared Isaacman concluded enthusiastically on X.
There will be another one to follow flight readiness review to give the mission a definitive green light.
This is how the mission should ultimately go:
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NASA has a number of launch dates planned for March and April. The times per date differ depending on the phase of the moon. If it works out immediately on March 6, the launch will take place in Florida at 8:29 p.m. In the Netherlands it is already March 7, at 2:29 am.
If it is not possible on March 6, for example due to bad weather or a technical problem, there are still options in the days immediately afterwards. The launch for the Netherlands will also take place at night. If it is not successful by March 11, the launch will be postponed to early April.
Four astronauts on board
After launch, the four astronauts on board, three Americans and one Canadian, will make a flight of about ten days. They will thoroughly test the new lunar spaceship Orion. This also applies to the service module built by Europe, which provides the moon travelers with power, oxygen, heat and propulsion during the flight.
The flight to the moon takes about four days. After the passage along the far side of the moon, further from Earth than any astronaut has ever been, follows the return to Earth.
Ultimately, the spacecraft will enter the Earth’s dam at about 40,000 kilometers per hour, where the heat shield of the Orion capsule will have to prove itself. Orion will then land in the Pacific Ocean, where the astronauts will be picked up by a US Navy ship.
It is the first flight with a crew on board since Apollo 17 in December 1972.
