"Our time is coming. And we hope that that is on
Wednesday," said Mike Sarafin, the manager of the much-delayed Artemis 1
mission, at NASA headquarters.
The Artemis 1 mission, a test flight without astronauts,
represents the first step in the US space agency's plan to build a lasting
presence on the Moon, and taking lessons from there to prepare for a future
voyage to Mars.
Named after the sister of Apollo in Greek mythology, the new
space programme comes 50 years after humans last set foot on lunar soil.
The first launch of the Space Launch System rocket, the most
powerful ever designed by NASA, is set for Wednesday at 1:04 am local time
(06:04 GMT), with a possible launch window of two hours.
Countdown has already begun at the storied Kennedy Space
Center, where the orange and white behemoth awaits its maiden flight.
The takeoff is scheduled less than a week after the passage
of Hurricane Nicole, which the rocket endured outside on its launch pad.
For now, officials are evaluating the risk associated with
hurricane damage to a thin strip of caulk-like material called RTV, which
encircles the Orion crew capsule atop the rocket, and makes it more
aerodynamic.
Teams are looking at whether the RTV could shake loose
during launch and pose problems.
Two backup dates are possible if needed, on November 19 and
25.
Far side of Moon
The weather promises to be mild, with a 90 percent chance of
favourable conditions during the launch window.
At the end of September, the rocket had to be wheeled back
to its assembly building to be sheltered from another hurricane, Ian.
Before these weather setbacks, two launch attempts had to be
canceled for technical reasons.
The first failure was related to a faulty sensor, and the
second to a fuel leak when filling the rocket's tanks. It runs on ultra-cold,
ultra-volatile liquid oxygen and hydrogen.
NASA has since replaced a seal and modified its procedures
to avoid thermal shock as much as possible.
Tank-filling is now due to begin Tuesday afternoon.
About 100,000 people are expected on the coast to watch the
launch, with the rocket promising to light up the night sky.
The Orion capsule will be lifted by two boosters and four
powerful engines under the core stage, which will detach after only a few
minutes.
After a final push from the upper stage, the capsule will be
well on its way, taking several days to reach its destination.
Rather than landing on the Moon, it will assume a distant
orbit, venturing 40,000 miles (64,000 kilometers) beyond the far side — further
than any other habitable spacecraft so far.
Finally, Orion will embark on the return leg of its journey.
When passing through the atmosphere, the capsule's heat shield will need to
withstand a temperature half as hot as the Sun's surface.
If takeoff happens Wednesday, the mission would last 25 and
a half days in all, with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on December 11.
NASA is banking on a successful mission after developing the
SLS rocket for more than a decade. It will have invested more than $90 billion
in its new lunar program by the end of 2025, according to a public audit.
Artemis 2 will be almost a replay of the first mission,
albeit with astronauts, in 2024.
Boots on the ground should happen during Artemis 3, no
sooner than 2025, with the crew set to include the first woman and first person
of colour on the Moon.