How NASA is updating its Space Launch System hardware ahead of the Artemis 2 mission
Image: Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
After several false starts, NASA finally launched its Artemis I mission in November last year. The big aim of the mission was to test out new hardware like the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft ahead of the crewed Artemis II mission.
Artemis II will be the first crewed launch using the new system and is currently scheduled for next year. This mission will see four astronauts travel into orbit around the Moon, making it the first crewed mission to travel out of low Earth orbit since 1972. It will be followed by Artemis III, which aims to land a crew on the Moon’s surface, launching in 2025.
Before a crewed launch, however, some of the hardware used in Artemis I needs to be refreshed. In a press conference this…