Washington. October 23. INTERFAX - The first unpiloted test flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) launch vehicle and the Orion spacecraft to the Moon orbit under the Artemis program is scheduled for February 2022, its head, NASA representative Mike Sarafin, said during a teleconference dedicated to the Artemis-1 mission.
"As for the launch window (Artemis-1-IF mission), we are planning a window of about 15 days in February. In the case of a rocket launch in the first half of this period, the mission will be considered a so-called long mission. It will last about six weeks, during which the spacecraft will spend more time in a retrograde orbit to prepare for subsequent descent and landing," Sarafin said.
"In the case of a rocket launch in the second half of the allotted period, the mission will be considered short and will last four weeks. We know exactly the duration of each mission option. Its format depends on the launch day and the goals we set for ourselves," he added.
Earlier it was reported that the SLS launch vehicle and the Orion spacecraft were successfully connected in the vertical assembly building at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral in Florida.
According to NASA's plan, before transporting the SLS and Orion to the launch pad, tests of components and ground systems will be conducted for the last, pre-flight test in early 2022.
As part of the test, a team of specialists will test a system for refueling fuel tanks with rocket fuel and conduct a rehearsal of the final countdown before launching the rocket. If the test is successful, NASA will return the rocket and the ship to the vertical assembly building for final checks, after which the exact launch date will be determined.
