NASA’s preliminary observations of the behavior of its SLS mega-rocket during the Artemis I mission are very enthusiastic. The launcher exceeded expectations, which is great news for the sequel.
Not only did the Space Launch System (SLS) work well, but NASA’s mega-rocket also performed better than expected. These are the preliminary conclusions of the American space agency, as part of the examination of the behavior of the launcher at the time of the departure of the Artemis 1 mission, on November 16, 2022.
Shared on January 17, NASA sightings point out that ” the rocket met or exceeded all performance expectations. [….] All SLS systems performed exceptionally.” Quoted in the report, program manager John Honeycutt added that the correlation between theory and actual performance “ was excellent “.
In summary, the manned space program of the United States can serenely turn to the sequel, embodied by Artemis II, a mission expected in 2024. The evaluation of the SLS and flight data continues nevertheless, with a view to a report final. All the information collected during this first flight will be used for the following ones, in particular to optimize the SLS.
This will be particularly beneficial for Artemis II, which is an even higher step for NASA: it will be a question of reproducing the same flight as Artemis I, but with a crew on board. No error, no approximation can be tolerated here. The empty flight organized with Artémis 1 served as a test run, without putting the astronauts at risk.
The success of Artémis I is all the more satisfying as the rocket has come a long way: it experienced delays in its development, postponements due to unpredictable weather, problems during its test campaign, but also worrying incidents (a hydrogen leak) and schedule constraints. Moreover, it was excruciatingly expensive to develop.
Heading to 2024 and Artemis II
Unless NASA discovers a significant issue among all the data received at the time of Artemis I’s flight, NASA’s schedule will continue. Another example of the rocket (indeed, the SLS mega-rocket cannot be repurposed as SpaceX) is being built and assembled. The central stage should be delivered this spring.
This milestone is in any case excellent news for the Artemis program, which aims to bring American astronauts back to the Moon. This step will take place after Artemis II – the Artemis III mission is officially scheduled for 2025. However, when it comes to space affairs, the calendar is never immune to upheaval.
The SLS is a heavy space launcher, which has characteristics similar to the Saturn V rocket which was invented and implemented for the Apollo program – a rocket that has become legendary, which has never known failure. The SLS culminates at 98 meters high (it exceeds the Statue of Liberty) and weighs 3,000 tons. And at its top is the Orion capsule.
NASA hopes to repeat this feat, before, perhaps, giving up the hand: indeed, the SLS could well be the last rocket built by Nasa before handing over to the private sector. Several companies, such as SpaceX (with the Starship), Blue Origin (New Glenn) and United Launch Alliance (Vulcan) are actively developing heavy launchers.
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