Washington (AFP)
This crucial mission was initially planned before the end of the year.
She will sign the real launch of the Artemis program, with which the United States plans to return humans to the Moon, including the first woman.
This first test flight will be done without an astronaut on board: NASA's new giant rocket, called SLS, will propel the Orion capsule towards the Moon, before the latter returns to Earth.
“The February launch window opens on the 12th and our last opportunity in February is on the 27th,” mission lead Mike Sarafin told a press conference.
If necessary, especially if the machine is not ready on time, other launch windows are planned in March (from 12 to 27) and in April (from 8 to 23).
The rocket, with Orion at its top, is already fully assembled at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
It is almost 100 meters high.
"This is a very important step. It shows that we are on the home stretch of the mission," commented Mike Sarafin.
At the beginning of January, the thrower will be brought to the firing point for a dress rehearsal.
The vehicle's tanks will be filled with fuel, and a false countdown will be performed.
After this test, the exact launch date will be announced.
If the first half of the window in February is chosen, then the mission will last approximately six weeks.
But if it's the second half, then the ship will only spend about four weeks in space, Sarafin said.
In March, SLS had successfully carried out a static test of its engines (called "hot fire"), in Mississippi, before the machine was transported to Florida.
There, the Orion capsule was placed at its top.
NASA officials declined to say on Friday whether the schedule for the Artemis 2 mission was affected.
For the moment, this second mission is due to take place in 2023, and this time will include astronauts on board.
But they won't land.
It is only during Artemis 3 that astronauts will set foot on lunar soil.
The planned date was initially 2024, a deadline that now seems almost impossible to meet.
© 2021 AFP