NASA Aims To Launch New Lunar Program Artemis In February Next Year
NDTV
This would be the first step in America's plan to return humans to the Moon later this decade, a first since NASA's Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
NASA said Friday it is now targeting February 2022 for the uncrewed lunar mission Artemis 1, the first step in America's plan to return humans to the Moon later this decade.
The space agency had initially wanted to launch the test flight by the end of this year, with astronauts on the ground by 2024 on Artemis 3, but the timeline has slipped back.
It achieved a major milestone Wednesday when it stacked the Orion crew capsule atop its Space Launch System megarocket, which now stands 322 feet (98 meters) tall inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
After further tests, it will be wheeled out to the launch pad for a final test known as the "wet dress rehearsal" in January, with the first window for launch opening in February, officials told reporters on a call.
