It is possible that humanity will return to the Moon in the future. The Moon has been explored by humans during the Apollo missions in the 1960s and 1970s, and there has been renewed interest in returning to our natural satellite in recent years.
NASA has announced plans to send humans back to the Moon as part of the Artemis program, which aims to establish a sustainable human presence on the lunar surface. In addition, a number of private companies, such as SpaceX and Blue Origin, have expressed interest in lunar exploration and have announced plans to send humans and/or payloads to the Moon in the near future.
However, it is worth noting that returning to the Moon is a complex and expensive undertaking, and there are many logistical, technological, and financial challenges to overcome. It is not yet clear when or if humanity will be able to establish a permanent presence on the Moon or what the long-term goals of such a presence might be.
Long live the new Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-25s engines!
According to Universe Today, four Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-25s engines were used by NASA to power the Space Launch System (SLS) to send an Orion spacecraft beyond the orbit of the Moon. The same source reveals that the space agency aims to replace the Space Shuttle Era engines with the new RS-25E.
Johnny Heflin, who’s the manager of the SLS Liquid Engines Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center of NASA, explained, as the same publication mentioned above quotes:
Much like launch, test campaigns are dynamic events that allow us to learn more about the SLS rocket hardware. NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne teams were successful in running the first test of the new RS-25 restart engine for 209.5 seconds that will help power future missions with the SLS rocket. Preliminary data indicates the engine was performing nominally. Data analysis is underway.
According to current plans, the Artemis V mission will involve sending a crewed spacecraft to the Moon and conducting a series of activities on the lunar surface, including scientific research and technological demonstrations. The mission is expected to take place in a few years and will build upon the capabilities and infrastructure developed during previous Artemis missions.
