Nasa readies most powerful rocket for round-the-moon mission

Nasa is preparing to roll out the Space Launch System for Artemis II, a crewed circumnavigation of the moon that could launch as early as 6 February. The flight would carry four astronauts on a roughly 685,000-mile round trip and return with a Pacific Ocean splashdown about 10 days later.

Nasa is preparing to roll out its most powerful rocket ahead of the Artemis II mission, a crewed trip around the moon that could launch as early as 6 February. The mission would send four astronauts on a roughly 685,000-mile round trip and end with a splashdown in the Pacific about 10 days after liftoff. This is the second test of the Space Launch System (SLS) and the first flight with a crew aboard the Orion capsule, following an uncrewed test in 2022. Artemis II is intended to exercise systems and procedures that will inform Artemis III, which aims for a lunar landing near the south pole as early as next year. Key details: - Planned launch: as early as 6 February from Kennedy Space Center, with 14 backup dates identified through mid-April if needed. - Mission profile: about a 685,000-mile round trip, roughly 10 days in duration, and a Pacific Ocean splashdown on return. - Crew and objectives: four astronauts will live and work in Orion to test life support, communications, manual piloting and docking procedures; the crew includes Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, and Koch is reported as becoming the first woman to travel beyond low Earth orbit while Glover is reported as the first person of colour to do so. - Vehicle and propulsion: the SLS rocket and Orion service module together stand nearly 100 metres tall and will carry large volumes of propellant to reach speeds reported up to 24,500 mph. - Preflight operations: rollout by crawler-transporter 2 will move the 5,000-tonne rocket about four miles over up to 12 hours, followed by a wet dress rehearsal that includes loading more than 700,000 gallons of propellant and a trial countdown. Summary: The immediate next steps are the rollout to the launchpad and a full preflight programme, including a wet dress rehearsal and checklist work that will determine whether the mission can meet the planned 6 February date. Engineers have been addressing technical issues such as a bent cable in the flight termination system, a faulty valve used to pressurise Orion, and leaks in oxygen-pumping equipment; if substantial problems occur the rocket could be rolled back for repairs and a later launch date used. The mission will test crewed systems and procedures that are relevant to later Artemis missions and further lunar exploration.