NASA's moon mission countdown has begun now, read details .....
The rocket's upper stage, that is, the Space Launch System rocket’s interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) has been powered up.
NASA test director (Artemis I launch director) Charlie Blackwell-Thompson has given the “go” for booster power up, and all non-essential personnel has left the launch pad area in preparation for propellant loading operations.
At 10:53 p.m. EDT, or L-9 hours, 40 minutes, the launch team is expected to reach a planned two hour, 30-minute built-in hold.
During this time, the mission management team will examine the status of operations, get a weather briefing, and make a “go” or “no-go” decision, that is, decide whether to proceed with tanking operations or not.
According to weather forecasts, the weather conditions remain 80% favorable at the start of the two-hour launch window which opens on August 29 at 8:33 a.m. EDT (6 pm on Monday), however, there are chances of increasing rain showers.
NASA has set September 2 and September 5 as possible backup launch dates in case the countdown clock is stopped for any reason.
Tanking Operations, Read detail...
During tanking operations, teams will fuel the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with several hundred thousand gallons of liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid hydrogen (LH2).
This process of filling will start with the rocket’s core stage and then the interim cryogenic propulsion stage.
This will happen over a series of different propellant loading milestones in order to fill and restock the tanks.
The coverage with commentary of tanking operations to load propellant into the SLS rocket starts at midnight on NASA TV. Full coverage starts in English at 6:30 a.m. and in Spanish at 7:30 a.m.
The countdown milestones as planned for tanking are listed in the next page ---
Artemis 1 is a test flight without a crew. It is the first step toward Artemis 3, which will result in the first human missions to the Moon in the twenty-first century and the first since 1972.
The Artemis 1 is the most powerful rocket engine ever flown into orbit. It is even more powerful than Apollo’s Saturn V system, which sent astronauts to the Moon in the 1960s and 1970s.
NASA aims to send the first woman on the lunar surface with this mission as early as 2025.