NASA’s new moon rocket Artemis blasts off 50 yrs after end of Apollo programme

NASA’s new moon rocket blasted off early Wednesday on its debut flight from the Kennedy Space Centre, for the first time since the end of the Apollo programme 50 years ago. The rocket Artemis is a step closer to putting astronauts back on to the lunar surface again. 

Launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said, “For the Artemis generation, this is for you,” referring to those born after Apollo. NASA is aiming to send four astronauts around the moon on the next flight in 2023. It plans to land humans on the surface in 2025. 

The rocket hit 160 kph within seconds. The debut flight with three test dummies will propel an empty crew capsule into the moon orbit, which will return to Earth with a splashdown in the Pacific in December. 

The moon rocket blasted off from the space centre, after multiple delays and billions in cost overruns. 

A series of roadblocks including hydrogen fuel leaks, Hurricane Ian delayed the launch of the rocket as it oscillated between the hangar and the pad. It also faced damages after winds threw off a 10-ft strip of caulking high near the capsule. 

Crowds gathered outside NASA’s launch sites and its centres in Houston and Huntsville to watch the launch of the sequel to Project Apollo on giant screens. 

The 322-ft SLS is the most powerful rocket ever built by NASA. The Orion capsule is expected to reach the moon by Monday. The $4.1 bullion test flight is set to last 25 days. The mannequins on board are fitted with sensors to measure vibration, acceleration and cosmic radiation etc.

The Orion capsule will take the astronauts to lunar orbit. NASA has hired Elon Musk’s SpaceX to develop Starship that will carry astronauts to and from Orion and the lunar surface in the first trip in 2025. 

Also read: NASA prepares to launch Artemis 1 mission next month; check details