NASA’s Artemis I mission, which launched on November 16th this year, has been a success, with all systems performing exceptionally during the flight test. The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket has laid the foundation for the Artemis Generation and the future of spaceflight in deep space, according to John Honeycutt, SLS Programme manager.
The Artemis mission aims to land the first woman and the first person of color on the surface of the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a stepping stone for astronauts on the way to Mars.
NASA continues to evaluate data from the Artemis I launch, with the goal of using the information to improve future flights of the SLS rocket. The team will use what they have learned from the flight test to streamline future missions and build confidence in the rocket to send humanity back to the Moon.
“The data we got back from Artemis I is critical in building confidence in this rocket to send humanity back to the Moon,” said John Blevins, SLS chief engineer.
The core stage of the SLS rocket has more than 1,000 sensors and 45 miles of cabling, which have provided valuable information on how the rocket performed during events like booster separation. Cameras and sensors also allowed teams to monitor how the rocket performed during its in-space manoeuvres and the extreme temperatures and sound the rocket experienced just after liftoff.
“There is an engineering and an art to successfully building and launching a rocket, and the analysis on the SLS rocket’s inaugural flight puts NASA and its partners in a good position to power missions for Artemis II and beyond,” said Honeycutt.