Artemis I will get 3 launch attempts after termination system extension agreed NASA's huge Space Launch System (SLS) will get its three launch attempts in the coming weeks after officials approved an extension to validation of the Flight Termination System from 20 to 25 days. Depending on when it launches, the mission could last anywhere from four to six weeks during which the spacecraft will be placed …
Or they could remove the dummies and put Truss and Sunak in there -- oh and Johnson as well, as he is particularly useless. It doesn't matter if there's a problem bringing the spacecraft back, no one (who matters) will care.
They seemed determined to get SLS up before Musk's Starship (that's not allowed to fly before 1st Sept). I wonder if that's because once Starship has completed its few test flights we won't ever need another SLS. (I know it's not human rated -- yet.)
I'll get my coat...
Think of the Senators! Without SLS how are they going to claim that they are bringing jobs to their state? Where are their campaign funds going to come from? There is just no way SpaceX could ever compete with SLS. Gwynne Shotwell has said she doesn't even know how to build a billion dollar rocket.
Use Dragon for us meat bags and starship for heavy lift. Job done.
Buzz Aldrin himself wrote the PhD and book on how to do orbital rendezvous.
70+crew starships are obviously contingent on the ship proving itself hundreds of times over so no rush on the crew element just yet. Rather like space shuttle was supposed to do…. Oh, hang on.
Er, it really does need possible abort capability if there's people on board.
The Apollo Lunar Module had a big Abort button, which would drop the descent stage, and burn the ascent engine to get back to orbit. It even had a entirely separate backup computer, just for aborts when the main computer was down.
If you don't have an abort mode, this is what happens >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
@Flocke Kroes: Are you confusing this with LAUNCH abort?, the Apollo Lunar Module LANDING abort was abort BACK TO ORBIT. Sorry for shouty caps :-(
I'm sure phuzz is correct, there must be an abort back to orbit on the HLS Lunar landing, same as there was on Apollo. If after landing you have an issue preventing successful launch then yes you're SOOL
But lunar launch is I guess an all or nothing thing with no safe abort possible.
Of course Starship won't have a landing abort when it lands on earth but I don't think it will do that with people on board for a long time (not sure how the guy that is paying for Dear Moon is going to take that!)
I don't think there's any clear information yet, but I believe the plan is for SpaceX to build a Lunar lander version of Starship, which will be launched unmanned, and will travel all the way out to the Lunar gateway station.
Then the astronauts will travel out to meet it in an Orion capsule launched by SLS. Then they'll climb into the Starship, land, do science, take off again and return to the Lunar gateway, then get back into Orion for the trip home.
The Lunar version of Starship will stay in orbit around the moon, and will probably never return to earth.
(Obviously all this could change between now and whenever they launch).
The Rocket Lab flight is testing a very slow — and very propellant-efficient — ballistic trans-lunar trajectory, while SLS-Artemis will use the Apollo brute-force method (huge trans-lunar maneuver + huge lunar-orbit maneuver) to get to the moon in three days. Doubtful that any feelings would be hurt, TBH.
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