NASA Planning To Retry Launch Of Rocket Next Saturday

On Dec. 8, just before dawn

Nasa will attempt another launch of its Space Exploration Centers for Human and robotic activities (SESAC) program on its next rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The SESAC – which is named after three missions for human space exploration started by Nasa (the first American satellite), Gemini and Apollo, and the third one launched towards Mars – will be targeting a short window of opportunity on that same day for its to launch again on what is scheduled to become known as SpaceX’s ‘Asteroid Rendezvous’ (ARTEMIS-1). As NASA describes in more detail here, the ARTEMIS-1 mission will send humans back to the moon around 2025 to establish human lunar activity by 2024. However, due to the fact of having an extended long wait on this particular spacecraft, many of those waiting on site are anticipating that they might not be able to see their mission succeed properly or even get all of the information they need.

In case you have seen any recent coverage of when this mission was supposed to be, then hopefully as we head back into our real lives tomorrow, you can also check out how things have been going for us during the last week! For our very first look, take a look at everything the public has been doing to try and find out when this mission will go ahead!

What Was Planned?

Over the months leading up to December 9, 2020, NASA has conducted numerous tests and inspections to ensure that the hardware and software of this upcoming mission were sufficient and ready to put in full swing. On November 22nd and 23rd, NASA completed a series of inspections during both stages of preflight operations. From these inspections, NASA looked at various aspects of the vehicle's performance and determined that nothing unexpected happened. In terms of the actual execution for today’s event, there were several changes designed for the Artemis II SESAC mission to account for this delay. First, the launch vehicle used for the SESAC program, the Super Heavy Stage Adapter (SHSA), had undergone some minor adjustments on its nose cone so that it could carry one extra motor instead of two. This should allow for a bigger thrust to get off the ground than previously. Secondly, the fuel tank used for sending the SESAC crew up would now be larger than usual to accommodate for a larger payload and allow for the additional propellant needed for each stage of the journey. Lastly, as stated in previous news releases regarding the future of this mission, one of the engines used in the SHSA had a small component called a piston fan motor failure.

When is the Mission Now Targeting?

NASA’s goal is to make it to 2023 for this mission to begin operations. Since it’ll take about two years for this rocket to reach low Earth orbit, the exact time frame will vary depending upon how quickly this whole process works (if anything it should go faster!). When it eventually reaches the intended flight period, the entire system may still need to come together before reaching Earth orbit, but the countdown should start sooner than usual. Once the countdown starts, once NASA determines that it is safe to proceed with this mission, the countdown will move forward, no matter the weather conditions on that date.

The Crew Is Who Will Watch Out

When the first part of the SESAC-2 rocket is launched next year on an Atlas 5 carrier rocket, it will be carrying astronauts who are currently stationed on the International Space Station (ISS). They’re mainly international visitors to perform research and experiments, but also include representatives from the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Italian national Mario Shiro, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), and other members of the private sector, as well as scientists from elsewhere who wish to return to earth on Earth after space travel. Once these people arrive at Kennedy Space Centre’s Johnson Space Center (JSC), they will immediately begin working with NASA to complete the necessary checks and processes required for them to safely enter the capsule and begin the journey home. Then everything will continue to happen as planned, with the crew heading for home aboard the United States’ commercial ship of choice where they will transfer the data collected during their journeys to provide valuable insight to scientists throughout the world. The first stage portion of the trip will likely occur in the vicinity of the KSC, where the main science investigations are being conducted. The second half of the journey will involve rendezvous with the ISS and then performing several tasks that will place a high premium on getting all of these teams and their respective spacecraft safely into position within the correct orbits. It’s expected that most of the rest of the journey will take place in the vicinity of the Baikonur Cosmodrome. That means all the preparations and testing taking place in space will come before the final leg of this journey takes place here, meaning astronauts do not experience too much change in the environment while in space.

What Can We Expect?

At this point, one of the key objectives of this mission is to separate the components to be able to deploy and remove the individual pieces of the SHSA. If this successfully occurs, it will enable NASA to separate them from the other parts, making the whole deployment mission possible. Unfortunately, if anything goes wrong with the separation stage, this entire task will be unsuccessful. A few days ago, the team took a deep breath and realized that another major design flaw existed in the super heavy rocket booster section, causing the engines to fail without warning during one of the static fires. Luckily the engine did not explode, but unfortunately, this will mean that the whole operation is delayed even longer until the engines can be replaced. So far, only the rocket core has been removed from the vessel, but that’s enough for the SESAC 2.4-tonne solid rocket boosters to be released before returning to Earth orbit. This should enable the whole agency’s remaining rockets to undock from the launcher and depart the station for storage.

To answer the question of whether there will actually be something left to install and deorbit, NASA’s decision is based entirely on this piece of information. NASA’s plan is to leave the whole stage intact, including the engine part, before ejecting the smaller fragments through a large hatch in front of the base of the structure. These parts of the stage are then picked up by upper-level controllers in the U.S. Space Force’s Stowaway bay facility at JPL while on the way to Earth orbit, where their removal will also occur. Once there, NASA will transfer the pieces to the reentry vehicle (RV) capsule to ensure that they are fully aligned with the original objectives of the mission. After the mission, the engine section will then be transferred to the newly detached platform at the top of the RV. By completing this sequence of events correctly, NASA may achieve its ultimate goal and conclude its maiden manned mission to the moon with Artemis and give us the invaluable knowledge gained over the past four decades of human space exploration.

Artemis I: Astronomy Return to Earth

Artemis II: Science Advancements to help pave the way for peaceful human activity

The Next Generation: New technologies needed for safer, more accessible, and sustainable missions