Major Artemis 2 launch update as NASA leaders highlights risk of moon | Science | News
NASA said the Artemis 2 mission will be launched in early April. If the rocket takes off on April 1, astronauts will fly around the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years. It was scheduled to launch earlier this month but a helium leak was discovered and had to return to the Vehicle Assembly Building in Cape Canaveral for repairs.
NASA said the issue has now been resolved and Artemis 2 will be rolled back to the Florida launch pad on March 19 before launch. The rocket’s crew consists of astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. They will be the first people to fly with the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft
Their 10-day mission involves circling the far side of the Moon, which we never see, and returning to Earth.
He said: “We want to make sure we think about everything that could possibly go wrong and evaluate any risks that will put us in the best position to succeed.
“If you look at the data over time, over the lifetime of building new rockets, the data shows you that one in two people are successful. You’re only successful 50% of the time. I think we’re in a much better position than that.”
*** Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us your Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as a Preferred Source in your Google search settings. ***
“We do an outstanding job of understanding risk, buying into risk, mitigating risk, and putting together controls to manage risk.”
Despite previous problems, NASA has said it will not attempt another “wet dress rehearsal” in which the rocket is fueled and subjected to a countdown process.
In December 2024, NASA set a new deadline for launch before the end of April 2026.
