Humans haven’t walked on the Moon since the end of the Apollo program 50 years ago. NASA wants to change that sometime this decade with the SLS rocket, which the agency will try launching again in just a few weeks.

NASA officials are targeting September 23rd to try and launch the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket to the Moon. If that doesn’t happen, they’ve also set September 27th as a potential backup date.

This initial launch, dubbed the Artemis 1 mission, would carry an uncrewed crew pod so it can detach and circle the Moon. If it’s successful, the agency also wants to carry out a crewed mission down the road — the first Moon orbit crewed flight is expected for 2024. A lunar landing, which will put the first woman on the Moon, is expected in 2025.

NASA has tried to launch the mission two times in the last weeks. The last launch attempt, on September 3rd, had to be canceled due to a hydrogen leak. Maybe the third time’s the charm?

Reestablishing a human presence on the Moon is proving harder than initially expected, but if the next launch attempt is successful, this might be the decade when we finally step foot on the Moon again.

Source: The Register