International
Final preparations underway for NASA’s Moon rocket launch
| By AFP | Lucie Aubourg |
After two failed attempts this summer, NASA was busy Monday completing final preparations for the launch of its new mega Moon rocket, now scheduled for early Wednesday from Florida.
The Artemis 1 mission, a test flight without astronauts, represents the first step in the US space agency’s plan to build a lasting presence on the Moon, and taking lessons from there to prepare for a future voyage to Mars.
Named after the sister of Apollo in Greek mythology, the new space program comes 50 years after humans last set foot on lunar soil.
The first launch of the Space Launch System rocket, the most powerful ever designed by NASA, is set for Wednesday at 1:04 am local time (0604 GMT), with a possible launch window of two hours.
Countdown has already begun at the storied Kennedy Space Center, where the orange and white behemoth awaits its maiden flight.
The takeoff is scheduled less than a week after the passage of Hurricane Nicole, which the rocket endured outside on its launch pad.
For now, officials are evaluating the risk associated with hurricane damage to a thin strip of caulk-like material called RTV, which encircles the Orion crew capsule atop the rocket, and makes it more aerodynamic.
Teams are looking at whether the RTV could shake loose during launch and pose problems.
Two fallback dates are possible if needed, on November 19 and 25.
But Mike Sarafin, in charge of the Artemis 1 mission, was optimistic Sunday evening. “I feel good headed into this attempt,” he said.
Far side of Moon
The weather promises to be mild, with a 90 percent chance of favorable conditions during the launch window.
At the end of September, the rocket had to be wheeled back to its assembly building to be sheltered from another hurricane, Ian, postponing the mission by several weeks.
Before these weather setbacks, two launch attempts had to be canceled for technical reasons.
The first failure was related to a faulty sensor, and the second to a fuel leak when filling the rocket’s tanks. It runs on ultra-cold, ultra-volatile liquid oxygen and hydrogen.
NASA has since replaced a seal and modified its procedures to avoid thermal shock as much as possible, and succeeded in a tank filling test in late September.
These filling operations are now due to begin Tuesday afternoon, under the orders of Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, NASA’s first female launch director.
About 100,000 people are expected on the coast to watch the launch, with the rocket promising to light up the night sky.
The Orion capsule will be lifted by two boosters and four powerful engines under the core stage, which will detach after only a few minutes.
After a final push from the upper stage, the capsule will be well on its way, taking several days to reach its destination.
Rather than landing on the Moon, it will assume a distant orbit, venturing 40,000 miles (64,000 kilometers) beyond Earth’s natural satellite — further than any other habitable spacecraft so far.
Finally, Orion will embark on the return leg of its journey. When passing through the atmosphere, the capsule’s heat shield will need to withstand a temperature half as hot as the Sun’s surface.
If takeoff happens Wednesday, the mission would last 25 and a half days in all, with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on December 11.
NASA is banking on a successful mission after developing the SLS rocket for more than a decade. It will have invested more than $90 billion in its new lunar program by the end of 2025, according to a public audit.
Artemis 2 will be almost a replay of the first mission, albeit with astronauts, in 2024.
Boots on the ground should happen during Artemis 3, no sooner than 2025, with the crew set to include the first woman and first person of color on the Moon.
NASA then wants to launch around one mission per year and build a lunar space station called Gateway. There, humanity must learn to live in deep space and develop the technologies necessary for a round trip to Mars, perhaps in the late 2030s.
International
Heavy rains leave dozens dead in Hidalgo, Puebla, and Veracruz
The death toll from heavy rains in Mexico has risen to 44 after the government confirmed three additional fatalities on Sunday, as civilian and military rescue teams work to clear roads and reach isolated communities.
The states of Hidalgo, Puebla (central) and Veracruz (east) account for the highest number of victims and material damage, according to a statement from the Federal Ministry of Security.
These regions share a large area of the Sierra Madre Oriental, which has been affected by a tropical system from the Gulf of Mexico, bringing intense rainfall since last Thursday amid an already heavy wet season.
The government stated that it is accelerating relief and recovery efforts in the areas affected by the storms.
On Sunday, the clouds began to clear, allowing rescue teams to intensify efforts to reopen numerous mountain roads, which still leave dozens of small communities cut off.
International
Venezuela launches ‘Independence 200’ defense plan amid U.S. naval presence
Venezuela launched on Saturday the defense plan ‘Independence 200’, mobilizing armed civilians, police, and military personnel in the eastern states of Anzoátegui, Monagas, and Bolívar, joining five other regions activated in recent days. The government cited “various threats” from the United States, which maintains a naval presence in the Caribbean Sea near the South American nation.
The Interior Minister, Diosdado Cabello, led the event in Monagas, explaining that the plan aims to prepare the population, police forces, and the National Bolivarian Armed Forces (FANB) to face the threats confronting the country. Cabello emphasized the need to assess strengths and weaknesses rigorously.
“These exercises are not about hiding in a trench and waiting to see what happens, nor expecting the enemy to tire themselves out. No, the enemy will wear down—but through our permanent harassment, denying them rest, driving them to despair, and appearing everywhere by any means,” he said.
The minister also called for active and prolonged resistance and a permanent offensive, warning that the “imperialist enemy has decided to direct all its weapons against the homeland of Simón Bolívar.”
President Nicolás Maduro confirmed via Telegram that the plan is active in Anzoátegui, Monagas, and Bolívar, describing the area as a vital corridor stretching from the Caribbean to the Orinoco River and the southern border with Brazil. He noted that the Integrated Defense Operational Zones (ZODI) will be activated state by state across the country, following the rollout in Carabobo, La Guaira, Aragua, Falcón, and Zulia.
Minister of Defense Vladimir Padrino López stated that the exercises involve 27 tasks, including monitoring U.S. aerial campaigns, ensuring food and hospital reserves, maintaining community radio communications, defending cities and key access points, and patrolling ports.
While the U.S. defends its naval deployment as an operation against alleged Venezuelan drug trafficking, Maduro’s government insists it constitutes a threat aimed at promoting regime change.
International
Peruvian president Jerí leads prison raids to tackle organized crime
Peruvian President José Jerí led a major prison inspection operation on Saturday aimed at fighting extortion and contract killings linked to organized crime, the National Penitentiary Institute (INPE) reported.
Hundreds of inmates were moved from their cells to the yard at the maximum-security Ancón I prison, where President Jerí arrived wearing a white shirt.
“By the president’s order, an extraordinary search has been conducted to combat crime, especially contract killings linked to organized crime,” said INPE chief Iván Paredes to the press.
“President Jerí has been clear: we must fight crime, and on his first day in office, the first thing he did was come here to supervise a prison raid,” Paredes added.
During his inauguration speech, Jerí emphasized that the fight against crime and organized crime is one of the country’s main challenges and called for immediate action.
“The main enemy is outside, on the streets—the criminal gangs, the organized crime groups. They are today our enemies, and as enemies, we must declare war on them,” the president said.
Citizen insecurity led to the removal of former President Dina Boluarte by Congress on Friday.
The operation involved 200 officers and was carried out simultaneously in four prisons, including El Milagro in Trujillo, about 500 km north of Lima, and Challapalca in Tacna, located at 4,600 meters above sea level.
Peru has 68 prisons with an overpopulation of 102,000 inmates, according to INPE.
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