NASA plans to return to the lunar surface more than 50 years after the last flight

Weather of Arabia - More than half a century ago, specifically on July 20, 1969, man took his first steps on the surface of the moon during the Apollo 11 flight, and returned to walk on the surface of the moon 5 more times, which was part of the Apollo program (1961 - 1972) that made a revolution In our relationship with outer space.

To celebrate the 53rd anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, NASA announced that it intends to send its new spacecraft to the moon in late August 2022.

The Artemis I mission will be a test flight with the newly developed Orion spacecraft, and the flight will be without astronauts present, with the aim of determining whether it is time to send a human crew to the moon next year.

NASA officials said that the new spacecraft underwent a test that was deemed successful, but the agency is still looking into some repairs to the rocket systems to make sure the spacecraft is ready for launch.

According to officials, there are three launch dates available from August 29 to September 5, and the mission will last for a varying length of time depending on the day the missile is launched. she:

• The first launch is scheduled for August 29 , at 8:33 a.m. and will last for two hours. This 42-day mission will end with a landing in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego on October 10, with the US Navy recovering the capsule.
• The second launch is scheduled for September 2 , starting at 12:38 a.m. and lasting two hours, on a 39-day mission, with a touchdown in Pacific waters on October 11. ( Update: After the first attempt failed, the second attempt will be on September 3rd at 14:17 local time (18:17 GMT) with a possible delay of up to two hours if necessary)
• Finally, the third launch date will be on September 5 at 5:12 PM. It lasts an hour and thirty minutes, on a mission that also lasts 42 days and ends with a landing in the waters of the Pacific Ocean on October 17.

NASA's 30-story Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and its attached Orion capsule are currently in the hangar at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, following repairs that emerged from a countdown test last month.

If Orion's journey to the moon and back goes well, astronauts could board in 2023 for an orbit around the moon and land in 2025.

It is reported that astronauts last explored the moon in 1972, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set foot on the lunar surface on July 20, 1969, while Michael Collins was orbiting the moon.

You may also be interested: How did the "Apollo 11" flag appear in space despite the absence of air on the moon's surface?

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