NASA hasn’t left aside its ambitious plans for building a base on the Moon during the upcoming Artemis mission. The uncrewed flight test running under the moniker of “Artemis I” will be launched way beyond the atmosphere by NASA in February 2022, according to Space.com.
The Artemis I mission implies going around the Moon. However, the testing phase means plenty of stuff to do. NASA will have to run tests regarding communications, the countdown system, engineering, and more.
The “Wet Dress Rehearsal” is the most important test
The “Wet Dress Rehearsal” testing implies the loading of cryogenic propellants.
Speaking about the Artemis I mission in general, Mike Bolger, who is the program manager of the Exploration Ground Systems, declared as quoted by Space.com:
It’s hard to put into words what this milestone means, not only to us here at Exploration Ground Systems, but to all the incredibly talented people who have worked so hard to help us get to this point,
Our team has demonstrated tremendous dedication preparing for the launch of Artemis I. While there is still work to be done to get to launch, with continued integrated tests and Wet Dress Rehearsal, seeing the fully stacked SLS is certainly a reward for all of us.
The Artemis mission involves sending a crewed mission to the Moon by 2025. That would mean the return of humans to the natural satellite after a break of about half a century. Hopefully, everything will go well, and the next destination will be Mars.
The last time humans landed on the Moon was back in 1972 during the Apollo 17 mission. However, the return is supposed to be in great style, as NASA aims to build a base on our natural satellite.
