The leader in this new space race is of course NASA. They are the only organization that it did once, but that was 50 years ago. And while the entire technology of the Apollo program still consists in the form of blueprints and designs, the entire human expertise that creates these rockets and spaceships is now either in retirement or died. In addition, we do not spend almost as much money on the modern space program as in the 1950s and 60s, and to be completely open, the Apollo missions were completely dangerous – they had a risk that is completely unacceptable for modern standards. When the APOLLO 1 catastrophe took place and three astronauts killed during a rehearsal of the starting clothing in 1967, NASA held human space for less than two years. An event like this would probably switch off programs for at least a decade today.
Today NASA plans to return to the moon, which Artemis Project calls, the first crewed mission profile (which is currently almost planned as planned) as follows:
First, a start sends the Lunar Lander trade into the earth orbit. A private company, either SpaceX or Blue Origins, will provide this craft. In order to bring the land to the moon, he has to refuel what will be somewhere in the baseball stadium of 10 to 20 additional starts, rendezvous in orbit and refueling (alternatively there could be a “tanker” in the orbit that is already pre -filled). The country then burns and climbs into the lunar orbit.
Additional moonlanders can be sent for later use to deliver supplies to the moon surface.
Then sends the latest NASA rocket, the space start system or the SLS, the Orion spaceship into the orbit. The Orion spaceship will then carry four astronauts into a lunar orbit and it takes 2-3 days to reach the moon. The Orion spaceship will create with the moonlander. Two astronauts descend into the moonlander and spend about a week on or near the moon south pole. Then he returns to the moonlander again, start the landlord with Orion, rendezvous.
This is a fairly complex mission plan, much more complex than the original Apollo missions of the last century. The reasons for this complexity are that the Artemis project operates in a much more difficult political environment (there is no longer as much support for the space program), the fact that the Artemis missions will be much longer and scientifically depth than Apollo, and the stage will set for a long-term (and even permanent) human presence on the moon.
Nevertheless, everyone agrees that the planned start date of 2026 … Well that it is optimistic. The Orion spaceship has some strange heat disc problems, which is of crucial importance for its survival when it rises through the atmosphere on the way home. NASA is currently discussing if the next artemis start should be colored so that it can have another test. The SLS launcher itself is slow and difficult to build. I can best describe that solid rocket booster and overpowering Roman candle fireworks are. A little thing wrong, and her party on July fourth will include a visit to the emergency room.
The private partners do not adhere to their schedules. At the time of this episode, Blue Origins has not even brought a spaceship into the orbit, let alone a viable moonlander. As for SpaceX, you are currently testing your spaceship that will serve as the basis for your moonlander. Starship tests seem to be going well … but they haven't yet determined the Lunar Lander part.
Room is difficult. In the 1960s, the United States could achieve it by issuing nothing less than an amazing amount of money: the Apollo program spent more than 260 billion US dollars from today's dollar to send a few dozen people to the moon surface. The missions to the moon are extraordinarily complex, have to start, travel, land, activity in the area of surfaces, reintroduce, return and put it on earth. This is not an orbital joyride, which is on the side of what humanity is capable of.
