NASA has begun returning the imposing Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft to the launch pad in Florida ahead of the planned flight around the Moon, known as the Artemis II mission, after necessary repairs were completed.
See also: NASA: Spacecraft crash on Earth due to solar activity
The engineers of the Artemis program started the relocation process at 8 p.m. local time. Subsequently, the American space agency will proceed with final preparations before opening the next “window» for launch on April 1st.
The huge orange and white rocket and the Orion spacecraft were slowly moved from the assembly building at the Kennedy Space Center and carefully traversed about 6.5 kilometers to launch pad 39B.
If the tests are completed successfully, three American astronauts and one Canadian will head toward the Moon, undertaking a flight around Earth's natural satellite. The mission, which is expected to last about 10 days, will represent a significant step toward the return of people to the Moon's surface — a goal that Donald Trump announced during his first term, but has been repeatedly delayed.
See also: Artemis II: NASA aims for a more realistic approach to returning to the Moon
At the end of the previous month, NASA identified a problem in the solar flow and decided to return the Artemis 2 mission rocket —weighing about 5,000 tons— to the assembly building in order to investigate the fault and proceed with the necessary repairs.
This meant that a launch in March was no longer feasible. Prior to this obstacle, other technical issues had already been identified, such as a liquid hydrogen leak that prematurely aborted a launch simulation test.
Now, the agency appears optimistic that the first crewed flight around the Moon after more than 50 years will take place in early April, with the earliest possible date being April 1st and alternatives in the following days.
See also: NASA retests Artemis II mission readiness
In the meantime, the crew of the Artemis 2 mission went into quarantine on Wednesday in Houston, as part of the preparations for the launch.
