{"id":17988,"date":"2019-07-17T23:59:40","date_gmt":"2019-07-17T15:59:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/nasas-target-for-the-first-launch-of-its-sls-moon-rocket-shifts-from-2020-to-2021\/"},"modified":"2019-07-17T23:59:40","modified_gmt":"2019-07-17T15:59:40","slug":"nasas-target-for-the-first-launch-of-its-sls-moon-rocket-shifts-from-2020-to-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/nasas-target-for-the-first-launch-of-its-sls-moon-rocket-shifts-from-2020-to-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA\u2019s target for the first launch of its SLS moon rocket shifts from 2020 to 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"NASA
NASA engineers load a test article for the SLS liquid-oxygen tank into its test stand at Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. (NASA Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told lawmakers today that the first launch of the heavy-lift Space Launch System was \u201cdefinitely achievable by 2021,\u201d seemingly signaling a shift in the plan for a 2020 maiden launch.<\/p>\n

Bridenstine\u2019s testimony to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation came just a day after he wrote in a blog post that NASA was \u201cstaying on schedule for flying the Artemis 1 mission with our Orion spacecraft on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket next year, and for sending the first crewed mission, Artemis 2, to the lunar vicinity by 2022.\u201d<\/p>\n

Artemis 1, previously known as Exploration Mission 1 or EM-1, would launch an uncrewed Orion capsule on a test flight looping around the moon. Artemis 2 would trace a similar course with a crew on board, in preparation for sending two astronauts to the moon\u2019s surface in 2024 via a yet-to-be-built Gateway space outpost in lunar orbit..<\/p>\n

Today, Bridenstine said Artemis 2 was scheduled for the 2022-2023 time frame. He stuck with the 2024 date for the lunar landing.<\/p>\n

Last week, Bridenstine announced that Bill Gerstenmaier, the associate administrator in charge of human exploration and operations, would be reassigned to an advisory role as part of a drive to accelerate progress on the Artemis program. Former astronaut Ken Bowersox would take Gerstenmaier\u2019s place on an interim basis, Bridenstine said.<\/p>\n

Eventually, new executives will be selected for the three top posts in NASA\u2019s human spaceflight program, Bridenstine said last week.<\/p>\n

Because of the turnover, Bridenstine declined to speculate on the precise schedule for SLS launches. \u201cNASA has not been good at setting realistic budget and schedules, and we need to get better at that,\u201d he told lawmakers. \u201cSo before we announce a new date, I want to be sure that we have a leadership team in place.\u201d<\/p>\n