News Highlight
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) successfully launched its uncrewed Moon mission Artemis 1 on 16th November 2022.
Key Takeaway
- After multiple delays caused by technological failures and natural disasters spread across two months, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket has been lifted from the Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Artemis 1 Mission
- About
- The mission aims to explore the Moon with the specific objective of getting humans back on the lunar surface and possibly beyond — to Mars and elsewhere.
- Artemis 1
- Artemis 1, formerly Exploration Mission-1, will be the first integrated flight test of NASA’s Deep Space Exploration Systems.
- Payloads
- It carries several payloads in the form of small satellites called CubeSats, each of which is equipped with instruments for specific investigations and experiments.
- Space Launch System
- The rocket used for the Artemis missions, called Space Launch System, or SLS, is the most powerful ever built.
- Aims
- The primary operating goal of the mission is to ensure a safe crew module entry, descent, splashdown, and recovery.
- Features
- It is an uncrewed mission but the first step toward putting humans back on the moon since the 1972 Apollo 17 mission.
- It is a safety test. But future missions will include people.
- Significance
- Moon settlement is essential for Mars exploration because astronauts want to use its surface as a pit stop for relaunching during extended visits to Mars.
- Artemis I will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond before the first flight with crew on Artemis II.
- Artemis I is fundamental to the space economy, fueling new industries and technologies, supporting job growth, and furthering the demand for a highly skilled workforce.
- Artemis program
- It began in 2017 as part of efforts to revitalise the space program.
- NASA named the program after Apollo’s twin sister Artemis, the goddess of the moon in Greek mythology.
- Artemis 2
- It is a crewed flight beyond the Moon that will take humans the farthest they’ve ever been in space.
- Artemis 3
- It is a mission that will land the first female astronaut and the first astronaut of colour on the Moon to spend a week performing scientific studies on the lunar surface.
Indian Missions to Moon
- Chandrayaan Mission
- Chandrayaan Mission was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and was India’s first mission to the moon.
- The spacecraft was launched in 2008 by a modified PSLV C-11 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
- Chandrayaan 2
- Chandrayaan – 2 is the second lunar mission of India after the success of Chandrayaan-1.
- This mission was conducted for topographical research and mineralogical studies to understand the Moon’s origin and evolution better.
- Chandrayaan 2 Mission was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in 2019, by GSLV Mk III-M1.
- Chandrayaan-3
- Chandrayaan-3 is ISRO’s third lunar exploration mission, the objective of which is a soft landing on the Moon.
- The mission will likely use a repeat of the parts from the Chandrayaan-2 mission.
- Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (LUPEX)
- LUPEX is a joint robotic lunar mission of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
- The mission aims to send a lunar rover and lander to explore the South Pole region of the moon by 2024.
- The ISRO will provide the lander, while JAXA will be responsible for the H3 launch vehicle and the rover.
Content Source: Indian Express