NASA's Moon Rocket Launch: First Crewed Trip in 50 Years

0:00Here's more Sydney news from March 12th. NASA has given the green life for its giant moon rocket to launch as early as April 1st with four astronauts on board. This Artemis 2 mission will be the first crew trip to the moon in more than 50 years. The 98 meter space launch system rocket is set to roll out from the hangar next week at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Earlier this year, the mission faced setbacks from hydrogen fuel leaks and a helium flow problem. NASA fixed the leaks at the launch pad in February, but had to haul the rocket back to the assembly building for more repairs. Now cleared, they have just six days in early April to lift off, or it slips to late April or early May. NASA leaders emitted a test flight with real risks. They put the odds of success for a new rocket around 50 percent, higher than routine missions since it's not flying often. Officials skipped sharing exact risk numbers, but stressed the team in hardware already. In other news, new NASA administrator Jared Isaacman shook up the Artemis program last month.

1:02He's adding an Earth orbit practice flight next year as Artemis III, pushing the first moon landing to Artemis IV. His goal is one or two landings by 2028 to speed things up and cut risks. This week, a government audit warn NASA needs a solid rescue plan for lunar crews. Moonlanders pose the biggest threat, especially near the risky South Pole terrain. SpaceX and Blue Origin are speeding up their lander work, but challenges like in-orbit refueling remain. Support for this DNN episode comes from our sponsor. If sleep podcasts are your thing, this is your pillow. Build for comfort and calm. S-O-L-I-S-O-L-P-L-O.