NASA, after more than 50 years, is preparing to return to the Moon. Following the completion of the Artemis I mission, the space agency is continuing its work at full speed. NASA, which will conduct a manned flight to the Moon in the coming years, has successfully completed another critical test.
NASA tests engines to carry the SLS rocket into space
NASA plans to return to the Moon again with the Artemis V mission in 2029. During this process, the space agency conducted ignition tests of the new RS-25 engines that will launch the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket into space.
NASA announced the successful completion of the test and stated that longer versions of this test will be conducted in the future. The space agency also expressed that they successfully completed the ninth leg of the 12-test process that was determined, with the remaining three tests planned to be completed before the end of this month.
SpaceX is set to launch its long-awaited cargo mission tomorrow, marking its twenty-eighth successful delivery to the ISS.
The ignition tests of the SLS rockets control the performance of the engines. NASA’s tests conducted at the Fred Haise Test Stand at the Stennis Space Center near Mississippi have critical importance for the Artemis missions. In this sense, the healthy transportation of the engines is of vital importance.
In the latest test, operators ran the RS-25 engine for more than eight minutes (500 seconds). This duration comfortably meets the time required for the launch of the SLS rocket and a crewed Orion spacecraft into orbit.
NASA plans to conduct a crewed flight close to the Moon in November 2024. In the following years, the space agency aims to transport the first woman and the first black person to the Moon. Within the scope of NASA’s Moon mission, they will also carry out the Artemis III and Artemis IV missions in subsequent years. With the Artemis V mission, the first crewed landing on the Moon after many years will be made.
NASA is making plans to send humans back to the Moon with the Artemis missions. What are your thoughts on NASA and the Moon mission? Feel free to share your opinions in the comments section.
