The Artemis mission to the moon has started – 8 points for the NASA project According to Elon Musk: Twitter tap can only be bought again in two weeks

It’s been 53 years since Neil Armstrong said, “It’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” And: It has been almost 50 years since man was last on the moon. The most important stage on the way back should have started several times, but had to be postponed each time.

On Wednesday it finally worked: the launch date chosen by NASA was met and Orion, an unmanned capsule with the moon as its target, was launched on Wednesday morning. Here you can see how the mission is progressing and what has happened so far:

What happens now?

The goal is an unmanned flight to the moon. The Orion capsule was launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Center in Florida. She received help from the heavy-duty rocket “Space Launch System” – the most powerful rocket in the world to date.

Two hours after launch, the Orion capsule separates from the rocket and begins transfer to the moon. Smaller corrections can be made using a module from the European Space Agency (ESA).

Once on the moon, the capsule will orbit the moon, approach it to within a hundred miles and then ignite its engines to penetrate as far as 40,000 miles behind the moon — it would be a record for a spacecraft that will one day carry humans.

For the way back, Orion uses the gravity of the moon. 25 days after launch – that is, on December 11 – it will land again in the Pacific Ocean. Here the capsule is being salvaged by the US Navy.

The goal of Artemis 1, the first part of the Artemis mission, is to test the SLS rocket and the Orion capsule at the tip under real conditions. Instead of astronauts, only dummies are on board. Their sensors are designed to record acceleration, vibration and radiation levels.

Why was the start delayed again and again?

Several previous attempts to launch Orion into space were eagerly awaited, but all had to be cancelled.

In late August and early September, technical problems threw a spanner in the works at NASA. A spokesman said an engine had not reached the required target temperature. A problem with the refueling system was also noted, apparently there had been multiple fuel leaks. Problems had already arisen in previous tests and the original schedule was delayed.

At the end of September, NASA finally wanted to make another attempt, but had to cancel again due to Hurricane “Ian”.

Now it finally worked on the morning of November 16. The rocket was refueled on Tuesday afternoon (8:30 p.m. Swiss time). In the middle of the night in Florida, at 07:04 Swiss time, a two-hour period for the launch of the rocket with the Orion capsule began.

What is Artemis?

Artemis is the mission through which the American space agency NASA plans its future of human spaceflight. After 50 years, it should go back to the moon for the first time, and later to Mars.

Artemis would also be the first woman and the first PoC (Person of Color) to land on the moon. Twelve people have walked on the moon so far: all white men and all Americans.

What is the purpose of Artemis?

Artemis is actually a stage on the way to the long-term goal: Mars. The Artemis program is therefore also referred to as the “Moon to Mars mission”.

Plans include a permanent space station in lunar orbit and a base on the moon itself – from which astronauts could one day travel to Mars.

Still, landing on the moon also has important goals for NASA, she says:

NASA has been preparing for the mission for more than a decade. Artemis 1 also has a symbolic character for them. It is meant to show that the US space agency is still competitive in the face of China’s or Elon Musk’s SpaceX ambitions.

What’s the schedule?

After Artemis 1, Artemis 2 in 2024 will be the first time astronauts return to lunar orbit since 1972. Finally, in 2025 at the earliest, humans should set foot on the moon again with Artemis 3.

Who is involved?

In addition to NASA, the European space agency Esa and the space agencies of several other countries are also involved in Artemis. For example, ESA contributed the ESM service module, which supplies the Orion capsule with electricity, water and oxygen. This must be separated and burned before it re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere.

There are also two dolls on board that were created in a project with German and Israeli participation. “Helga” and “Zohar” are going to test a new protective vest, which is intended to protect the female body in particular against space radiation.

But private individuals were also brought on board at Artemis: Boeing, for example, is the largest contractor of the SLS rocket.

Is there criticism?

Yes, and above all: too expensive! After all, a single launch with the SLS rocket costs a whopping $ 4.1 billion. In addition, the development of the launch vehicle has been delayed several times, driving costs up to several times the originally planned expenditure.

NASA Inspector Paul Martin first published the ongoing costs of the Artemis mission early this year. His conclusion, which he expressed to the US Congress: With these costs, NASA could not conduct a meaningful program with SLS and Orion, the price tag was “unsustainable”. He particularly criticized the “poor performance” of the Boeing company.

Who else is on their way to the moon?

Other countries – especially China – have ambitious space plans. The country is also working on putting its own astronauts on the moon. China has already mined rocks from the moon and became the first country to land a spacecraft on the far side of the moon.

Rock samples from the polar regions of the moon will be brought to Earth over the next five years. Plans are also being worked out with Russia for a research station on the moon.

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