NASA already has a launch window planned for Artemis 1, the first part of the mission that will take man back to the Moon.
In an interview with Ars Technica, operating system development program administrator Jim Free said that the estimate is that it will take place between August 23 and September 6. “It would be silly not to aim at that time now. We’ve made incredible progress this past week.”
He refers to the successful fuel test carried out on June 20 with the SLS rocket, which will take the Artemis mission to our natural satellite.
Originally, NASA’s most optimistic plan called for a start between July 26 and August 10. But there are still changes to be made to the SLS, such as replacing a seal that failed and caused a hydrogen leak in last month’s test.
“I don’t think we’re exaggerating here,” Free said. “We’re giving the team a squeeze, but I don’t think we’re doing anything stupid.”
On this first Artemis journey, she will take a module without astronauts, but which will collect data on how the journey can affect the human body. There will only be crew on Artemis II, laying the groundwork for a lunar landing starting in 2025.
