Marvelous Moon Mission
So why will it take two years to go again?
NASA proved that its capsule to take American astronauts back to the Moon can survive the fiery return to Earth. It was a picture-perfect splashdown off the coast of Baja California after a truly amazing unmanned test flight. It went so well that NASA added about 20 additional tests for the Artemis spacecraft known as Orion.
When I asked the leader of the Artemis program what systems or changes to procedures he would add to the next capsule, Mike Sarafin said, “the one change that I would like to implement for Artemis 2 is to put astronauts on board and send them to the moon.” There was laughter in the room because that is the plan. However, that probably won’t happen for two years.
Two years until next launch?
NASA says its plan has always been to take what it learned from Artemis 1 and make changes to Artemis 2 the next capsule and rocket. NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free told reporters his teams will be, “trying to roll in lessons learned from the processing of the Artemis 1 vehicle at Kennedy [Space Center]. Are there things we can shorten there and optimize?” He answered his own question, saying NASA would like to launch quicker than two years from now.
The critical part of this mission was the reentry on Sunday. It was a test of the largest heat shield of its kind ever built. The spacecraft survived and NASA is pleased with what they saw on reentry, but they want to know more. There were two blackout periods during reentry. That’s when the highest temperatures hit the vehicle. The NASA manager for the Orion capsule, Howard Hu, said “it'll be really important from an inspection perspective in terms of its overall detailed performance, but I would say we’re very happy with what we've seen so far on the heat shield.”
Artemis Calendar
When will American astronauts step back onto the surface of the Moon? Here is your lunar calendar with dates that can easily shift.
December 2022- The Orion capsule will be returned to Kennedy Space Center for detailed study of the heat shield and other components. Eight types of components will be removed and used for the Artemis 2 capsule.
January 2023- The Artemis 2 crew is expected to be announced. These four astronauts will orbit the Moon, but not land, about two years after their selection.
Late 2024- The Artemis 2 mission is expected to launch for its orbit of the moon.
Late 2025- This is when NASA says it hopes to launch Artemis 3 for the landing of two astronauts on the surface of the Moon near its South Pole. A lot needs to happen in three years. Elon Musk’s SpaceX is developing its Starship to carry the astronauts from the Artemis-Orion capsule to the lunar surface. That spacecraft has not reached orbit yet.
NASA did provide some details about SpaceX’s plans for its Starship. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson says he’s been told the company will conduct a few test flights at its facility in Boca Chica, Texas. It will then move the Starship launches to the Kennedy Space Center.
2024- SpaceX hopes to land an unscrewed Starship on the surface of the moon.
2025- SpaceX says it will be ready to land two astronauts on the Moon.
Sen. Bill Nelson, who is the Administrator, put this calendar in perspective when he said, “slips are always possible because it's a brand new system.”
One other Note:
Administrator Nelson says he was assured by Gwynne Shotwell, the President of SpaceX, that Elon Musk’s involvement with Twitter will not be a distraction as the space company develops the vehicle that will land on the Moon. After that briefing on Artemis 1, Nelson told reporters he pulled Shotwell aside and she said, “you have nothing to worry about.”
Great piece. Wish the timeline wasn't so long. I'm running out of time and would really enjoy seeing Americans on the Moon a second time in my lifetime!