The Artemis project of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, wants to reclaim space. For this, in 2022 the stages of its implementation began and successfully launched the first unmanned mission called Artemis I to observe the behavior of the ship, the obstacles that appear on the way and what needs to be taken into account so that the astronauts They will return. safe.
This first mission was a success and now, in 2024, the first manned mission of the project is expected to be implemented, called Artemis II, whose ultimate goal is to orbit the satellite and return to Earth.
Now, NASA engineers have attached four RS-25 engines to the main body of the project’s SLS (Space Launch System) lunar rocket.
It is currently scheduled to launch in November 2024. Technicians added the first engine to the rocket’s core stage on September 11. Teams installed the second engine on the stage on September 15 and the third and fourth engines on September 19 and 20.
Technicians from NASA, Aerojet Rocketdyne – main contractor of the RS-25 engines – together with Boeing, the main contractor for the core stage of the rocket, will now focus their efforts on the complex task of fully securing stage machines and integrating systems. .electric and propulsion inside the stage.
The 64-meter SLS core stage is the backbone of the lunar rocket. Its two large propellant tanks provide more than 2,774 liters (733,000 gallons) of super-cold liquid propellant to the four RS-25 engines, while the flight computers, avionics and stage electrical system act as the “brain” of the rocket.
With Artemis II’s liftoff, the RS-25 engines together will provide more than 2 million pounds of thrust (907 tons) in eight minutes of flight, helping to send the Artemis II crew beyond in low Earth orbit to venture around the Moon.
