The next attempt to launch Artemis 1 mission is maybe on Friday. The fact is that the new era of spaceflight is rising. New heavy-duty cargo systems like Artemis and Space-X's Starship are making history.
They allow creating the new type of missions where large structures can assemble at the Earth and moon orbiters. The miniature shuttles can use as assistant systems that are putting the parts of the large-size structures in the right places.
But why the Moon is an important thing for the next-generation space missions?
The space station that is on the moon's surface offers a good place to test the technology that is needed on Mars and farther. But another thing is that the Moon is needed for interplanetary flights for one reason. Interplanetary flights are based the nuclear-powered spacecraft. The nuclear reactor that is used in those missions is dangerous because radioactive material from those reactors can fall to Earth.
Sending a nuclear reactor to the Moon's orbiter requires heavy cargo systems. The highly radioactive material that is needed as fuel in those reactors can launch to the moon's surface in multiple different launches. That minimizes the possibility that the nuclear material can leak to large areas in nature.
Nuclear fuel can be stored in hard capsules and shot together with other parts of the Moon's orbiter. When only a minimum mass of fission material is shot in each launch, it minimizes the possibility of a large-scale nuclear disaster.
The nuclear-powered rockets' parts can be put together at the Moon orbiter and the reactor can start behind the Moon. That denies radioactive debris to fall on Earth.
The moon's orbiter is also in a very good position for larger space telescopes than James Webb. The service crews can use the Moon's surface for the storage of mirrors and other systems. The service for those large-scale and extremely expensive instruments can also make by using robot teams. The remote-control robots can change the mirrors of those telescopes that can be even larger than JWST.
Image: https://scitechdaily.com/sunrise-for-the-moon-dawn-of-a-new-era-in-space-exploration/
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