Reaching the moon requires a powerful rocket ship to accelerate the spacecraft enough to overcome the effects of Earth's gravity and set it on a precise trajectory to its destination. When NASA's deep space rocket, the Space Launch System , takes flight for the first time, Artemis 1 will produce up to 8.8 million pounds of thrust, more power than any rocket ever produced. Like many rockets, the rocket's propulsion is delivered in stages.
Liftoff: Core stage and boosters
During liftoff, the SLS core stage and twin solid rocket boosters fired, propelling the 5.75 million-pound rocket from the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida and sending it to into orbit carrying the unmanned Orion spacecraft. To do this, the SLS's four RS-25 engines burned 735,000 gallons of liquid propellant to produce 2 million pounds of thrust in just eight minutes, and the twin rocket boosters burned more than 2 million pounds of solid propellant to produce more than 7 million pounds of thrust. thrust. During ascent, rocket engineers often say that the rocket is going uphill, likening this phase of the launch to carrying a huge amount of weight up a mountain while Earth's gravity keeps pushing back.
After the rocket burns the fuel in its boosters and core stages, it will set them down, much like a hiker might put down a heavy backpack to climb the last few miles to the top of a mountain. SLS uses its power to maximize the cargo the rocket can send to the moon. This is why the SLS carries no additional fuel or propulsion systems necessary to return any stage to Earth for reuse. The solid rocket booster separated after two minutes of flight and the core stage fell off about eight minutes after launch.
SLS Block 1 Expanded view, Orion closed with NASA WORM logo
The Space Launch System enters Earth orbit with the help of two solid rocket boosters and a core stage with four RS-25 engines . From here, the interim cryogenic propulsion stage fires up its RL10 engines to carry the unmanned Orion to the moon for Artemis 1.
Credit: NASA/MSFC
Operation Moon Landing: Translunar Injection
After the SLS reduced the weight of its first-stage propulsion system and fuel, more power was still needed to send Orion to the moon. At this point, the rocket's upper half and Orion were soaring nearly 100 miles above Earth, accelerating to more than 17,500 miles per hour and beginning a circular orbit around the planet. This is Low Earth Orbit, commonly known as LEO. SLS can deliver more than 95 metric tons (209,439 pounds) to that orbit in its Block I configuration. However, deep space missions require a rocket that can overtake LEO with enough power and speed to overcome Earth's gravity and lift the spacecraft Send farther to the moon. The rocket's top half prepares for the next step of sending Orion out of low-Earth orbit, even before it completes a full Earth orbit.
This momentous move, known as the Translunar Injection (TLI), was the key maneuver that enabled Orion to launch Orion 280,000 miles beyond Earth and 40,000 miles beyond the Moon, farther than any spacecraft qualified to safely carry humans has ever ventured further. The mass a rocket can send to the moon depends on its performance at TLI. The SLS's initial configuration can send more than 27 metric tons (59,000 pounds) to lunar orbit, and future upgrades will enable the rocket to send at least 46 metric tons (101,000 pounds).
For Artemis 1, the TLI maneuver will begin on the rocket's upper section, formally known as the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage, firing an RL10 engine to produce 24,750 pounds of thrust, accelerating the vehicle to more than 22,600 miles per hour, fast enough to overcome Earth's gravity The role of the Orion is to push Orion out of low Earth orbit and send the spacecraft to the moon. The TLI maneuver was aimed precisely at a point around the moon that would guide Orion close enough to be captured by the moon's gravity.
After the TLI burn, the temporary cryogenic propulsion phase separated from Orion. Orion heads to the moon for a three-week mission, and the stage continues along a similar path, deploying several CubeSats along the way to study the moon or take Dad to deep space.The stage continues to orbit the sun, eventually engulfing it. The 10 small satellites continue to fly on a variety of missions, gathering information to help NASA explore deep space in the future.
At the same time, Orion started its maneuvering engines on its service module provided by the European Space Agency ( European Space Agency ) to take the spacecraft to the other side of the moon. During this flight, NASA is testing critical systems in the deep space environment, specifically elements of its crew life support systems and navigation systems. These tests took place so far away from the Earth that the Global Positioning System or GPS that many people use every day did not work properly. Instead, Orion will communicate via the Deep Space Network. Later, when Orion returns home, one of the most critical tests occurs when its heat shield is able to withstand temperatures of up to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit during reentry, which is the surface temperature of the sun. half of. With help from the Navy, NASA recovered Orion from the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.
The Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) for the first flight of NASA's Space Launch System
For Artemis 1, the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage provided the power to launch Orion to 280,000 miles from Earth and 40,000 miles from the Moon, farther than any spacecraft ever built for humanity.
Credits: ULA
What’s Next? People are farther from Earth than ever before
After the first flight, the next step is to start sending people on daring missions to the moon and beyond. As SLS evolves to unprecedented payload masses and volumes and unparalleled performance on future missions, the rocket will enable NASA to send missions into deep space and to distant destinations faster than ever before. In its second mission to carry Orion and astronauts, Artemis 2, SLS will send Orion and its crew farther than humans have ever traveled before, which is about 250,000 miles from Earth and 10,000 miles from the moon. As with Artemis I, the second flight will use a Block I version of the SLS. On its third flight, Artemis III, SLS will send an astronaut to Orion in 2024, a mission that will land on the moon. Americans and their international and commercial partners will use the moon as a proving ground to test technology and prepare for Mars missions.
To land larger cargo on the moon and send people to Mars, the SLS will evolve into a configuration known as Block 1B. This rocket configuration would use a powerful exploration upper stage instead of a temporary cryogenic propulsion stage and be capable of sending 42 metric tons (92,500 pounds) to the moon. The Universal Stage Adapter is a feature that helps the rocket carry payloads into space with Orion. It acts like the trunk of a large truck, allowing the SLS to transport astronauts and large cargo, which can exceed 10,000 cubic feet in volume and weigh up to 10,000 pounds. The rocket carries only cargo, and the 8.4-meter-long shroud can accommodate three fully loaded school buses or the Curiosity rover, which is the size of 30 small cars. Much of NASA's Gateway can be launched with the Orion spacecraft or fly independently.
The final evolution of the SLS is the Block 2 rocket, which can carry crew and cargo, or just the cargo needed for Mars exploration or missions to planets in the outer solar system. The Block 2 launch vehicle reaches orbit using the same core stage as the smaller rocket, but more powerful boosters increase thrust to 11.9 million pounds. This will allow it to launch more than 46 metric tons (101,000 pounds) into deep space.
Humanity's Peaceful Exploration
The SLS and Orion are America's space vehicles and the basis for missions that take explorers into deep space. This new era of discovery requires all of humanity, including international and commercial partners, to help make these adventures possible and sustainable. Partners can help provide everyday supplies and equipment needed to live and work on the moon and in deep space. SLS and Orion plan to fly once or twice a year and will focus on providing reliable, safe flights for humans and large cargo.
America and the world are ready for this new era of space exploration.The Apollo program allowed humans to experience exotic travel for the first time. NASA's planetary probes and massive observatories reveal all the mysteries of the universe. 135 NASA space shuttle missions, 20 years of building the International Space Station , the largest structure ever built in orbit, and 18 years of continued human presence in space have helped us learn to live and work in space. Our next adventure, Project Artemis, begins with the SLS roaring from the launch pad, ushering in a new era of human exploration and discovery.
