comprehensive report, the plan could not keep up with the changes, and the launch of the new generation of the US moon landing rocket was forced to be postponed.
The US "Space Launch System" heavy rocket was originally planned to be launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on August 29, local time, carrying the "Orion" spacecraft to carry out the "Artemis 1" unmanned flight around the moon. Test tasks. This is considered to be the first step in the United States' return to the moon.
However, after was troubled by thunderstorms, problems such as fuel leakage occurred on the day of the rocket launch, and the launch plan had to be cancelled. Coupled with the financial problems in recent years, the new crown epidemic and other factors, can the United States still complete its "timetable" of returning to the moon on time?
▲ Picture source: Screenshot from the official website of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
There was a fuel leakage problem, The US moon landing The launch of the rocket was postponed
The "Space Launch System" heavy rocket was originally scheduled to be ignited and launched on August 29, local time. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) specially broadcast the entire event live on its official website, attracting attention from the outside world.
but the launch countdown stopped at about the last 40 minutes. CNN (CNN) stated that since the refueling operation began, several technical failures were discovered and engineers had to make emergency repairs.
The Associated Press also said that the fuel leak forced NASA to cancel the launch plan. It is worth noting that during the test this spring, the rocket had a leakage failure, and the leakage location this time is said to be the same place as this spring. NASA had conducted "extensive repair work" on it at the time, but fuel leakage still occurred during the test in June.
Jeffs Bolding, NASA's senior test director, said that Over the past few months, the team has been working hard to overcome the technical problems of fuel leakage.
previously reported that if the August 29 window is missed, the launch may be postponed to September 2 or 5.
▲ On August 28, local time, the new generation of U.S. moon landing rocket " Space Launch System " was erected at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. According to reports, 48 hours after entering the launch countdown, the lightning protection device of the 39B launch pad where the "Space Launch System" is located was struck by lightning many times. "Considered to be the "most powerful rocket" built by NASA. According to the plan, half a century after the Apollo program sent 12 astronauts to the moon, it will send a space capsule carrying three mannequins into lunar orbit. These models are equipped with sensors that can collect a variety of data, including radiation levels, to provide reference for future manned flights.
The mission’s main goal is also to test the durability of the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield. In addition, NASA is expected to test key systems in the deep space environment, especially crew life support systems and navigation systems.
The American Consumer News and Business Channel (CNBC) pointed out that although it will not carry astronauts or land on the moon, this mission is crucial to prove the performance of NASA heavy rocket and deep space spacecraft, representing its important mission. A critical turning point in the return to the moon plan.
However, since this year, the United States’ moon landing rocket launch plan has experienced many twists and turns.
Just a few days before the launch, on the afternoon of August 27, due to thunderstorms, the lightning protection device of the 39B launch pad where the "Space Launch System" was located was struck by lightning many times. The lightning protection device includes three lightning protection towers about 182 meters high and wires to protect the rocket and the spacecraft it carries.
html In early April, there were four lightning strikes near the launch pad due to bad weather. According to NASA officials, the first three lightning strikes were relatively low-power events, but the fourth one, which hit Tower 1 of the lightning protection system, was relatively powerful.
html On April 14, NASA had to postpone the ignition test of the "Space Launch System" again due to a fuel leak in the mobile launcher.
▲ Picture source: Screenshot of the official website of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
There are many troubles. Can the United States return to the moon in 2025?
Analysis said that due to multiple factors such as budget shortfalls, technical failures, legal disputes, and the new crown epidemic, the United States The plan to return to the moon has been postponed many times in recent years.
According to reports, the goal of the U.S. "Artemis" program is to send astronauts to the moon and back, and establish a normalized residency mechanism to pave the way for future Mars manned landing missions. The name of the project is taken from the goddess of the moon in Greek mythology, corresponding to the project vision of realizing "the first female astronaut to land on the moon."
Among them, "Artemis 1" is the first step in the United States' return to the moon plan. If the mission is successful, NASA expects to launch the "Artemis 2" manned mission around the moon as early as 2024, and eventually the "Artemis 3" lunar landing mission, which will be the first Send women and people of color to the moon.
previously reported that the US government originally planned to send astronauts to the moon again before 2024. But in 2021, NASA announced that it would postpone the second manned moon landing plan to 2025.
At the time, the head of NASA explained that the U.S. Congress had not provided enough funds to develop a landing system for the Artemis program and that the Orion space capsule also needed more funds. NASA's inspector general even bluntly stated that the research and development technology required for to land on the moon cannot be ready before 2026 at the earliest.
Meanwhile, project costs are soaring. According to Reuters , so far, projects related to the "Space Launch System" and "Orion" spacecraft have spent at least US$37 billion, including design, construction, testing and ground facilities.
CNBC statistics show that U.S. officials have estimated that the development cost of the "Space Launch System" rocket is approximately US$6 billion, with each launch costing US$500 million. But in fact, it has cost more than 20 billion US dollars, and the cost of each launch has risen to 4.1 billion US dollars.
In this regard, Garver, the former deputy administrator of NASA, recently admitted that even with repeated delays and additional budgets, there are still doubts whether American astronauts can land on the moon in 2025.
As part of the "Artemis" program, many American media originally expected that this rocket launch mission would kick off the United States' return to the moon. Now, with the launch postponed, can the United States still fulfill its "timetable" for landing on the moon?
Copyright information: This article comes from China News Network . The copyright of belongs to the original author. The article is only for academic sharing.
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