Miami.- The SLS (Space Launch System) rocket of the Artemis II mission, in which four astronauts will orbit the Moon, returned this Friday to the launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it maintains the expectation of departing on April 1.
The rocket's move, with the Orion spacecraft to which the four crew members will dock, lasted 11 hours after traveling 4 miles (6.43 kilometers) from the Vehicle Assembly Building and overcoming technical problems, as the transfer was scheduled for Thursday, but was delayed due to the winds.
The vehicle, which measures 322 feet tall (more than 98 meters), arrived at its position at 11:21 a.m. local time in Cape Canaveral (3:21 p.m. GMT), NASA indicated in a statement.
"Now that the rocket is on Platform 39B, NASA teams are getting ready for the final stretch of preparations before the launch, as early as Wednesday, April 1st. The early April launch window includes opportunities until Monday, April 6th," detailed the American space agency.
Delay due to technical issues and weather
The fact causes expectation because the rocket returned to the assembly building on February 21st, hours after the general rehearsal that occurred before the planned launch, because NASA identified a problem that prevented helium from flowing to the upper stage of the rocket.
Also, while the rocket and spacecraft were in that building, engineers also checked and re-tested various systems.
Artemis II will send NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with the Canadian Space Agency's (CSA) Jeremy Hansen, on a mission of about 10 days around the Moon, which will be the first manned flight of this program and the return to the Moon more than 50 years later.
This is the second mission of this NASA program after the unmanned flight of 2022, and precedes the following missions, in which astronauts will return to set foot on the lunar surface, in 2028, and will begin the establishment of a permanent presence on the natural satellite and the construction of the Gateway orbital station.
"As part of the golden age of innovation and exploration, Artemis II is another step towards new manned missions from the U.S. to the lunar surface, which will lead to a sustained presence on the Moon that will help the agency prepare for the dispatch of astronauts to Mars," concluded the statement.
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