Tag Archives: Moon

Artemis moon mission delayed by NASA

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NASA’s efforts to return astronauts to the moon have been delayed once again.

The agency announced Tuesday that the next Artemis mission, which will fly four astronauts around the moon in a next-generation capsule, will launch in September 2025 instead of later this year.

A subsequent mission to actually land astronauts near the moon’s south pole is scheduled to be postponed to September 2026.

NASA said the two flights will be postponed to allow enough time to test new technology on the Orion spacecraft for the manned moon exploration mission.

“We are returning to the Moon like never before, and astronaut safety is a top priority for NASA as we prepare for future Artemis missions,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. stated in a statement.

The extra time will also give the team an opportunity to complete their investigation and troubleshooting of issues that occurred during the first unmanned Artemis test flight in late 2022, NASA said. Those outstanding investigations include scrutiny of battery issues and issues with components related to the Orion capsule’s ventilation and temperature control systems, officials said.

“Artemis is a long-term exploration campaign that will conduct science on the Moon with astronauts and prepare for future human missions to Mars,” Amit Kshatriya, deputy assistant administrator for Exploration Systems Development at NASA Headquarters, said in a statement. Ta. “That means we need to get it right as we develop and fly the underlying systems so we can safely execute these missions.”

The setback comes after years of stagnation and budget overruns in the Artemis program. NASA spent more than $42 billion over more than a decade developing the new Space Launch System Mega rocket and Orion spacecraft to bring astronauts back to the moon.

Last year, NASA’s Inspector General released a report outlining challenges surrounding the Artemis program’s enormous price tag and ambitious schedule. The report estimates that each Artemis launch will cost $4.2 billion, making it difficult to continue the lunar mission alongside NASA’s other exploration goals.

The Artemis project was named after the Greek goddess who was Apollo’s twin sister. As part of this effort, NASA envisions launching regular missions to set up base camps on the moon before eventually heading to Mars.

The commercial space industry is expected to play an important role in the Artemis program. Companies such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin are developing a variety of components and vehicles to support NASA’s efforts.

The agency is also considering awarding contracts to private companies to transport scientific experiments and equipment to the moon’s surface. One such company, Astrobotic Technology, launched a commercial lander to the moon on Monday, but shortly after launch the rover suffered a failure that would prevent it from reaching the moon’s surface, the company said. announced.

Renewed interest in the moon extends beyond NASA and the United States. India’s space agency landed a robotic spacecraft on the moon last year, and China, which already installed a lander and probe on the far side of the moon in 2019, also plans to ramp up its lunar exploration program in the coming years.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Artemis Mission to the Moon Delayed by NASA

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NASA's Space Launch System and Artemis I Orion spacecraft at Kennedy Space Center, Florida

NASA

It looks like it will take a little longer than expected to send astronauts back to the moon. NASA has postponed the Artemis II flight, originally scheduled to orbit four astronauts around the moon in late 2024, until September 2025. The Artemis III mission, which will land astronauts on the moon for the first time since 1972, has also been postponed from its original plan. From 2025 to 2026 at the earliest.

NASA officials said in a Jan. 9 press conference that the decision was made to ensure the safety of the crew and allow time to fully test all components of the spacecraft.

“We want to emphasize that safety is our top priority…and as we prepare to send our friends and colleagues on this mission, we are committed to launching as safely as possible. “We are here,” the NASA deputy administrator said. gym free During the briefing session. “We'll leave when you're ready.”

One cause for concern was that during the test, the heat shield of the Orion spacecraft (the Artemis program's crew capsule) flared up a bit more than expected, dropping some charred debris. “This heat shield is an ablative material and is supposed to char, but it's not what we expected and some of that char will be released from the vehicle,” NASA officials said. Amit Kshatriya said during a briefing.

NASA is investigating why this happened, as well as analyzing several problems that occurred during the test, including a defect in a valve that could affect the spacecraft's life support systems. I am currently in the process of doing so. “We know how to fix it,” Kshatriya said. “All we need to do is take the time to work to the standards of workmanship we expect from a human-rated vehicle.”

Finally, there were some potential problems with the giant new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket's abort system. These are the systems that separate Orion and fly it to safety in the event of a problem with the rocket itself, so these electrical problems can be characterized and fixed before humans are on board. Especially important.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

There is a possibility that Hayabusa’s lunar lander will not make it to the moon

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Peregrine photo showing disturbance of insulation in the foreground

astrobotic

Things look grim for Astrobotic's Peregrine spacecraft. The Vulcan rocket launched toward the moon on January 8, but just seven hours after liftoff, an “anomaly” began to occur that could prevent a safe landing on the moon's surface.

The first hint of trouble was that the spacecraft was unable to orient itself so that its solar panels faced the sun. The technical team on the ground was able to command the aircraft to steer in the right direction so the battery could be recharged. These batteries power Peregrine's communications and scientific equipment, and so far appear to be working properly.

But the problem doesn't end there. The thrusters meant to carry Peregrine to the moon and land safely are powered by rocket fuel, and appear to be leaking fuel.in a short series
statement

Astrobotic said the problem was “causing significant loss of propellant.”[this] If the propulsion anomaly proves true, it would threaten the spacecraft's ability to make a soft landing on the moon. The first images sent back from the spacecraft show rippling insulation in the foreground, suggesting that whatever caused the fuel leak may have also destroyed the spacecraft's insulation.

If Peregrine can't land on the moon, even if its batteries are fully charged, it's unclear which of its science goals it will accomplish. “The team is working to stabilize this [propellant] “While there was a loss, given the circumstances, we prioritized making the most of the science and data we could collect,” the statement said. “We are currently evaluating what alternative mission profiles are feasible at this time.” Astrobotic did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Assuming Peregrine is unable to land, this would be the third consecutive failed attempt by a private company to land on the moon. In 2019, the Beresheet lander crashed on the moon, and in 2019, the Hakuto-R lander also crashed on the moon. 2023. No private company has yet successfully made a soft landing on the moon.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

First American lunar lander in over five decades blasts off towards the moon, but faces early technical issues

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Astrobotic said the cause of the failure was likely a propulsion failure, adding that a further update would be issued once more data is acquired and analyzed.

Peregrine’s mission represents a new chapter in the commercial space industry, launching private companies into the space race and delivering to NASA and other customers.

The Pittsburgh-based company First private company to succeed in landing This is something only four countries have achieved on the moon. A Houston-based company also has a lander ready to fly and is expected to take a more direct route to the moon.

NASA provided both companies with significant funding to build and fly their own lunar landers. The space agency hopes the privately owned lander will scout the site before astronauts arrive, while also providing technical and scientific experiments for NASA and benefiting other customers. Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander contract: $108 million.

During its first flight, the Peregrine lander carried five NASA instruments. Following the technical anomaly, NASA said it would learn from the situation.

“Each success and setback is an opportunity for us to learn and grow,” Joel Kearns, deputy assistant administrator for exploration at NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said in a statement Monday. “We will use these lessons to advance our efforts to advance science, exploration, and commercial development of the Moon.”

The last time the United States launched a moon landing mission was in December 1972. Apollo 17’s Gene Cernan was the last human to set foot on the moon as mission commander, and Harrison Schmidt was the 12th astronaut to walk on the moon. , concluded an era that continued to be the pinnacle of NASA.

The space agency’s new Artemis mission, named after Apollo’s twin sister in Greek mythology, aims to return astronauts to the moon’s surface within the next few years. first, Flight around the moon by four astronautsProbably by the end of the year.

Highlighting Monday’s moonshot was the long-delayed initial test flight of the Vulcan rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The 202-foot (61-meter) rocket is essentially an upgraded version of ULA’s highly successful flagship Atlas V, which will be phased out along with the company’s Delta IV. Jeff Bezos’ rocket company Blue Origin provided his two main engines for the Vulcan.

The then-Soviet Union and the United States suspended touchdowns after a string of successful moon landings in the 1960s and 1970s. China joined the elite club in 2013, India in 2023.But I also saw it last year Landing craft from Russia and Japanese private companies crash into the moon. In 2019, an Israeli nonprofit organization's lander crashed.

Next month, SpaceX will provide lifts for the lander from Intuitive Machines.

In addition to flight experiments for NASA, Astrobotic has launched its own cargo transportation business, shipping its 6-foot-tall (1.9-meter-tall) Hayabusa lander with rock chips from Everest and toy-sized objects it catapults from Mexico. I packed everything up to my car. It will reach and cruise the moon’s surface, collecting the ashes and DNA of deceased space enthusiasts, including “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry and science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke.

The Navajo Nation recently asked for the launch to be postponed because of the human remains. He said it would be a “grave desecration” of the celestial bodies worshiped by Native Americans. Thornton said the December challenge was too late, but promised to work to find a “good path forward” with the Navajo Nation for future missions.

Celestis, one of the spaceflight memorial companies that purchased space for the lander, said in a statement that no single culture or religion owns the moon and should not be able to veto the mission. There will be more debris in the rocket’s upper stage, and once released from the lander, it will orbit the sun indefinitely all the way to Mars.

Freight rates for Hayabusa range from a few hundred dollars to $1.2 million per kilogram (2.2 pounds), not enough for Astrobotic to break even. But Astrobotic CEO John Thornton says that’s not the point for this first flight.

“A lot of people’s dreams and hopes rest on this,” he said.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

My Purpose at Work: Doing Exciting Things like Going to the Moon – Interview with Christina Koch

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Christina Koch has a job that kids dream about. Starting in 2019, on her first mission to the International Space Station (ISS), NASA astronaut She spent 328 days in space, the longest period ever spent by a woman in space. During that mission, she 3D printed living tissue, grew proteins, worked on dark matter experiments, and was half of the first all-female spacewalk.

Now Koch is preparing for his next adventure as part of the space agency's ambitious project to send humans back to the moon. With this, she will cement her own place in the history books. Koch and three other astronauts will spend 10 days orbiting the moon on the Artemis II mission, scheduled for November. However, there are lifetime safety restrictions on the amount of time astronauts can spend in space, so doing this would probably prevent them from setting foot on the moon in the future. Nevertheless, she would be the first woman to orbit Earth's satellite and look behind its mysterious backside.

Artemis II will be the first manned test of NASA's giant Space Launch System rocket and its apex Orion spacecraft, preparing for a future mission aimed at landing humans on the moon's surface for the first time since 1972. becomes. Mr. Koch said: new scientist About her important work on the ISS, the smells of space, and the unique microgravity sports you can play in orbit.

Leah Crane: What was it like…

Source: www.newscientist.com

Vulcan Launch: Exploring the Reasons Behind NASA’s Return to the Moon

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On January 8th, a Vulcan rocket carrying a lander bound for the moon will be launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Greg Newton/AFP via Getty Images

NASA's first mission to the moon since the Apollo missions of the 1970s began with the launch of a new Vulcan rocket carrying a robotic lander carrying seven scientific instruments.

The mission, which launched at 7:18 a.m. GMT on January 8 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, forms the first part of NASA's ambitious Commercial Lunar Payload Service (CLPS) program, which will launch this year. Six more launches are planned.

Unlike previous NASA missions, which were carried out almost entirely in-house, these efforts will be a public-private partnership with support from space companies. The Vulcan rocket was built by Boeing and Lockheed Martin as part of the United Launch Alliance (ULA), and the Peregrine robotic lander was built by space robotics company Astrobotic.

The lander will take 46 days to reach the moon and will attempt to land on February 23rd. If successful, it will be the first time a private spacecraft has landed on the moon.

There are several reasons why it took NASA decades to return to the moon, but the biggest one is a lack of government funding. As Cold War spending increased in the 1960s, the total federal funding NASA received peaked in 1965, and as the U.S. government made cuts, there was too little money available for further lunar exploration.

But private space companies like Elon Musk's SpaceX are now cutting the cost of space launches, allowing NASA to plan new moon missions on tighter budgets.

A successful launch could also intensify competition among private space companies. ULA was the dominant force in the U.S. space launch business before SpaceX conducted the majority of U.S. launches and dominated the launch market. Vulcan could help ULA regain lost market share.

This is especially important for ULA because it is currently on the market, with potential buyers including Jeff Bezos' spaceflight company Blue Origin.

The Peregrine lander's science instruments include lunar surface water and radiation sensors and will be essential for NASA's future human missions in the coming years as part of the CLPS program. It also carries a 2-kilogram rover designed by students at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania and five small robots built by the Mexican Space Agency.

Vulcan has two additional payloads that have caused controversy. A company called Celestis uses cremated ashes to conduct so-called “commemorative spaceflights.” Star Trek Creator Gene Roddenberry and actors James Doohan and Nichelle Nichols will be placed into orbit around the sun, while another capsule will contain the ashes of others bound for the moon. .

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Source: www.newscientist.com