The United States space agency confirmed that the maneuver that placed the Artemis II manned mission towards the Moon was successfully completed, despite minor incidents that did not compromise the flight.
On Thursday, NASA acknowledged that during the initial phases of the Orion probe’s operation, there were technical adjustments and a brief interruption in communications, which has since been resolved, but he insisted that there are no concernss regarding the mission.
“We have encountered some problems along the way, but none represent a concern at this time,” said Howard Hu, Orion program manager, at a press conference.
A probe carried out the so-called ‘translunar injection’, a maneuver that generated the necessary thrust to leave Earth’s orbit and begin the journey towards the Moonwhich should last between three and four daysduring which crew members will carry out more tests and scientific experiments.
NASA highlighted that the maneuver, which lasted five minutes and 52 seconds, was executed “perfectly” by the flight control team in Houston, in the southern United States.
The maneuver includes the last major engine burn of the mission, after which the spacecraft will continue its trajectory, driven by the laws of orbital mechanics, around the Moon and, later, back to Earth.
Crew is in good health
The North American space agency also highlighted that the crew is in good health and that the capsule’s systems are functioning as planned.
During the first full day in space, the crew performed in-orbit checks and maneuvers designed to ensure the reliability and safety of the spacecraft, which to date has never transported humans.
“This is still a test flight (…) we will continue to collect important information daily to learn how to operate this spacecraft in the real space environment”, highlighted Hu.
With favorable weather conditions, the SLS rocket – the most powerful ever launched by NASA – took off on Wednesday from the Kennedy Space Center, in the state of Florida, for the first manned flight around the Moon in more than 50 years.
This lunar mission is historic for being the first whose crew includes a woman, Christina Koch, a black man, pilot Victor Glover, and a Canadian, Jeremy Hansen, of the Canadian Space Agency.
Remember in sight
As soon as they get close to the Moon, astronauts will orbit it and fly over its hidden side, more than 400,000 kilometers from Earth, with the expectation of breaking the Apollo 13 mission record, becoming the humans who have traveled furthest from Earth.
After a test flight of the rocket and spacecraft in 2022, NASA wants to ensure they function properly during the Artemis II mission before attempting a moon landing in 2028, on the Artemis IV mission.
Yours Observations could help NASA choose the landing site for Artemis IV, which will venture to the Moon’s South Pole, where no human has ever been before.
The trajectory followed by Orion is called “free return”, which means it was designed so that the spacecraft is attracted to the Moon and then brought back to Earth naturally.
A The return journey will last three or four days and will be marked by atmospheric reentry, one of the most dangerous moments of the missionafter which the spacecraft will dock in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of California.
Unlike what happened with the Apollo program, NASA is now collaborating with other countries, mainly European, and with the private sector, including SpaceX and Blue Origin, owned by Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, respectively, which will be responsible for developing the lunar landing modules.
