Unfortunately, SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft they failed to launch to the moon on their first attempt. Artemis program will have to wait for the new launch window that will take place September 2to start this new race towards our satellite. If this is not possible, they will have a new opportunity, September 5th.
These are currently closed dates. If the launch had not been carried out on September 5, it would have been new opportunities in the following weeks, although they have not yet been accurately calculated. And we are not talking about dating something based on the presence of engineers. Launch windows are determined by very strict calculations, from which several dates are selected when the rocket can be launched into space.
After all, we must not forget that the Earth in constant motion and objects that rockets are usually sent to, too. This means that there are times when a launch is favorable, and there are times when it is not possible. This is the launch window. But let’s see what else is known about her.
What is taken into account when calculating the launch window?
Rockets are not planes that can fly from point A to point B. Artemis SLS, which is the most powerful ever created. These are vehicles designed to travel on a trajectory in which, for the most part, inertial motion. The thrusters play a very important role in the beginning, but most of the way the gravitational field of the involved celestial bodies is simply used. Thus, much less energy is wasted.
The problem is that this is the reason why it cannot be started at any time. The movement of the starting point, which is usually the Earth, and the end point, which can be Moon or Mars for exampleor. Thus, the optimal moment is calculated for the arrival of the rocket and the destination object at the same point in space at the same moment.
If we only take this into account, we will have some time intervals, more or less long, in which the rocket can be sent to its destination. However, they can be further refined taking into account other factors. For example, fuel quantity are available to make a possible change in trajectory or cause changes in speed. And it’s that while it’s not a plane that goes from A to B, there are some changes that can be made that are also part of the launch window.
Why aren’t they all the same?
There are release windows that last a few days and others that are much shorter. This applies to rockets that go to the moon. As we could see in Artemis’ first attempt, the launch window lasted only two hours. They did not have to be tested, as the problems with the third SLS engine were too serious to be solved at that time. However, it was well known that if these two hours passed, then there would be nothing to do until September 2.
This is because we have launch windows to send rockets to the moon. plentiful but short. That is, in one day there is very little time to launch a rocket. In this case, it’s two hours. But luckily, the next release window shouldn’t be too far away, as we’ve seen.
This is because the target is the Moon, whose movement is mainly based on rotation around the Earth itself. On the other hand, if the object you want to launch the rocket revolves around the sun, like the Earth, it is more difficult to find this golden mean. This is what is happening with Mars. We can imagine this as a group of people walking around the table, each at a different distance from the table and at different speeds. One of them also fly flies around. It will be easier for such a person to come face to face with a fly, although the moment will last a very short time. On the other hand, if he wants to come face to face with another person, he will need more time to do so, but he may feel that it is enough for him to be face to face for a longer time than he spent with the fly.
Therefore, launch windows to Mars last several daysbut they happen about once every two years. If it is lost, then it is much more tragic, since everything that is invested in them must be left for a long time. stand next to.
Fortunately, this is not the case with Luna, and hopefully Artemis It will be launched on September 2nd. If not, there are still many opportunities on the horizon. Some must be good.
Source: Hiper Textual
