New piece of the puzzle. The aircraft manufacturer Boeing announced on Tuesday, July 16, the delivery to NASA of the main stage of the future Space Launch System (SLS) rocket responsible for sending the manned lunar mission Artemis 2 into space. With a total height of 65 meters, this stage is the largest component of the launcher. Powered by four RS-25 engines as well as two solid-fuel booster rockets, this stage will provide the 4,000 tons of thrust needed to launch the rocket.
Built at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Center in Louisiana, the stage is now scheduled to travel to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Pegasus barge. It will then be integrated with other pieces of the launcher, including the upper stage, also produced by Boeing, the solid rocket boosters, from the Northrop Grumman conglomerate, and the Orion capsule, built by Lockheed Martin.
10 days in orbit around the Moon
Artemis 2 is the first mission in the U.S. space program to orbit the Moon with a crew in more than half a century since the Apollo missions ended. Due to a delay announced in January 2024, its launch is not expected to take place before September 2025.
NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen will orbit the Moon aboard the Orion capsule. In total, they are expected to spend ten days in space to confirm the habitability capabilities in space conditions, thus paving the way for the members of Artemis 3, scheduled for September 2026.
Source: www.usinenouvelle.com
