The day is finally upon us when the Artemis I mission will be launched for it trip to the moon. Liftoff is scheduled for 8:33 a.m. EDT. Weather is looking good.
This is humankind’s new attempt to visit the moon after a hiatus of about 50 years. The last person to set foot on the moon was Gene Cernan on December 14, 1972 as part of the Apollo 17 mission. Of course, there have been many robotic and lunar orbiter missions in the past 50 years.
This in an uncrewed test mission, designed to test out the new SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft. Subsequent missions will include crews and lunar landings. The goal this time is not just to set foot on the moon but to establish a permanent base on the moon and also to establish an orbiting Gateway (a space station) that will be used for observations, astronaut habitation and for launching robotic and crewed missions to the surface and eventually to Mars.
Artemis I Mission Profile
The 6-week Artemis I mission timeline is shown below. Soon after launch, Artemis I will deploy a series of cubesats to study the moon, the earth and conduct science experiments. The uncrewed Orion spacecraft will orbit around the moon for a few days and then return to earth.
Orion, propelled by a service module provided by ESA, will fly about 100 km above the surface of the Moon, and then use the Moon’s gravitational force to propel itself into a new deep retrograde, or opposite, orbit about 70,000 km from the Moon.
After ~6 days in lunar orbit, Orion will do another close flyby and use the moon’s gravity and its thrusters to accelerate back toward Earth, for a splashdown along the coast of Baja, California, about 42 days after the start of the mission.
Here is an animation of the fascinating trajectory of Artemis I. Note the close flybys and gravity assists by the moon to make major changes to the trajectory.
Here is an animation of the full Artemis I mission.
Artemis I Launch Timeline
Timeline after Day 1 :
Flight Day 2-5 - Outbound transit
Flight day 6-9 - Transit to Distant Retrograde Orbit (DRO) around the Moon
- Flight Day 6 (9/3): Outbound Powered Fly-by (burn 9:11 p.m.), Lunar Closest Approach (~60 miles)
Flight Day 10-23 - In DRO
- Flight Day 10 (9/7): DRO Insertion (burn 8:54 a.m.)
- Flight Day 11 (9/8): Orion passes Apollo 13 Record
Flight Day 24-34 - Exit DRO
- Flight Day 24 (9/21): DRO Departure (burn 2:52 a.m.)
- Flight Day 26: (9/23): Max distance from Earth
Flight Day 35-42 - Return transit
- Flight Day 35 (10/3): Return Flyby (burn 12:06 a.m.), Second Closest Approach (~500 miles)
Flight Day 43 - Entry and splashdown (11:53 a.m.)
Future Artemis Missions
Lunar landing will be done using a separate lander, the Human Landing System (HLS), currently being developed under 3 separate contracts, including one by SpaceX. Astronauts will transfer from Orion to HLS in lunar orbit for travel to the surface.
This is what the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway might look like in the not-too-distant future. It will serve as the staging point for both robotic and crewed exploration of the moon and possibly for missions to Mars.
SLS components and comparison with other heavy lift launch vehicles
Orion consists of the white-colored components on the top of the rocket. The Interim Cryogenic Propulsion System (ICPS) propels the rocket after it leaves earth orbit.
The N1, Russia’s response to the Saturn V, did not successfully complete any mission.
Webcast
Epilogue
Space is hard. There are many things that can go wrong on a complex machine like this. But each failure provides pathways to future successes. Let’s hope today’s launch goes through without any major hitch.
For those worried about costs and motivation for space exploration, when we have so many problems here on earth, I will say that we can do both and must do both. Many of the discoveries analysis and solutions for climate change comes from space programs. Many of the technologies we use on a daily basis are offshoots from the space programs. The cost of these programs is a tiny fraction of what we spend on the military and other programs.
Please join this liveblog and share your excitement, knowledge and insights about Artemis I. Please feel free to post questions, as there are many here who are eager to share their expertise on these subjects.
Let’s go Artemis, let’s go NASA.
References
- Artemis news blog — blogs.nasa.gov/…
- NASA Artemis site — www.nasa.gov/…
- Artemis I Press Kit — www.nasa.gov/...
- Orion Reference Guide - www.nasa.gov/…
- Artemis 1 wiki — en.wikipedia.org/…
Status Updates
Countdown is currently on hold, as engineers troubleshoot some issues with engine #3.
Unfortunately, the launch director has called it a scrub for today :(
Next launch window is on Fri, Sep 2.
The launch director halted today’s Artemis I launch attempt at approximately 8:34 a.m. EDT. The Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft remain in a safe and stable configuration. Launch controllers were continuing to evaluate why a bleed test to get the RS-25 engines on the bottom of the core stage to the proper temperature range for liftoff was not successful, and ran out of time in the two-hour launch window. Engineers are continuing to gather additional data.
blogs.nasa.gov/...