“We are in the final stretch.”
Roll out
The mission that NASA calls “mankind’s return to the Moon” is taking a big step forward after years of roadblocks.
The space agency announced that its first unmanned mission around the Moon called Artemis I is now due to launch from the launch pad on August 18th and will finally launch on August 29th.
The first backup date is set for September 2, should something go wrong, and given NASA’s disastrous track record, that’s certainly an option here.
“We’re in the final stretch,” Artemis I launch manager Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said during a news conference Wednesday that confirmed the Artemis I launch window.
Blackwell-Thompson also confirmed that the final launch of Orion, the capsule that sits atop the giant Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, was successful this weekend.
Fingers crossed
It almost seemed like Murphy’s Law was affecting NASA for a while now. In early June, a report revealed that the space agency is years behind on its launch schedule.
Artemis IV, the first scheduled manned mission to the lunar surface, which could deliver the first woman and first person of color to the moon, may also end up being delayed by about two and a half years, according to the report.
The bad news didn’t stop there, with budget constraints and fuel leaks affecting the space agency’s efforts.
Returning to the Moon is proving, perhaps, a little more difficult than scientists would have liked.
Progress is always encouraging, but we’ll still be praying it doesn’t rain on the agency’s parade; clearly NASA needs a win.
More Out of the World news: Giant pieces of Chinese space junk reportedly found by fishermen