NASA craft bound for moon for the first time in 50 years
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A space capsule hurtled toward the moon Wednesday for the first time in 50 years, following a thunderous launch of NASA’s mightiest rocket in a dress rehearsal for astronaut flights.
No one was on board this debut flight, just three test dummies. The capsule is headed for a wide orbit around the moon and then a return to Earth with a Pacific splashdown in about three weeks.
After years of delays and billions in cost overruns, the Space Launch System rocket roared skyward, rising from Kennedy Space Center on 8.8 million pounds of thrust and hitting 100 mph within seconds. The Orion capsule was perched on top and, less than two hours into the flight, busted out of Earth’s orbit toward the moon.
“It was pretty overwhelming,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “We’re going out to explore the heavens, and this is the next step.”
The moonshot follows nearly three months of vexing fuel leaks that kept the rocket bouncing between its hangar and the pad. Forced back indoors by Hurricane Ian at the end of September, the rocket stood its ground outside as Nicole swept through last week with gusts of more than 80 mph. Although the wind caused some damage, managers gave the green light for the launch.
An estimated 15,000 people jammed the launch site, with thousands more lining the beaches and roads outside the gates, to witness NASA’s long-awaited sequel to Project Apollo, when 12 astronauts walked on the moon from 1969 and 1972. Crowds also gathered outside NASA centers in Houston and Huntsville, Alabama, to watch the spectacle on giant screens.
The liftoff marked the start of NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration program, named after Apollo’s mythological twin sister. The space agency is aiming to send four astronauts around the moon on the next flight, in 2024, and land humans there as early as 2025.
The 322-foot SLS is the most powerful rocket built by NASA. A series of hydrogen fuel leaks plagued the summertime launch attempts as well as countdown tests. A fresh leak erupted at a new spot during Tuesday night’s fueling, but an emergency team tightened the faulty valve on the pad. Then a U.S. Space Force radar station went down, resulting in another scramble, this time to replace an ethernet switch.
Orion should reach the moon by Monday. After coming within 80 miles of the moon, the capsule will enter a far-flung orbit.
The $4.1 billion test flight is set to last 25 days, roughly the same as when crews will be aboard. NASA intends to push the spacecraft to its limits and uncover any problems before astronauts strap in. The test dummies are fitted with sensors to measure such things as vibration, acceleration and cosmic radiation.
Government watchdogs estimate NASA will have spent $93 billion on the project by 2025.
Ultimately NASA hopes to establish a base on the moon, and send astronauts to Mars by the late 2030s or early 2040s.