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The American space agency NASA is carrying out final testing on its new rocket that aims to help return humans to the moon.

美国宇航局正在对其旨在帮助人类重返月球的新火箭进行最终测试。

NASA says its Space Launch System, or SLS, is the most powerful rocket ever built. U.S. officials have said the rocket was designed to begin a new generation of human space exploration.

美国宇航局表示，其太空发射系统（简称SLS）是人类有史以来建造的最为强大的火箭。美国官员曾表示，这枚火箭旨在开启新一代载人太空探索。

SLS is the first rocket designed to carry both astronauts and supplies on a single mission. It is part of NASA's Artemis program, which aims to land the first woman and first person of color on the moon.

太空发射系统是首枚设计用于在单次任务中同时携带宇航员和补给品的火箭。它是美国宇航局阿耳忒弥斯计划的一部分，该计划旨在让第一位女性和第一位有色人种登上月球。

Artemis has a goal to land American astronauts on the moon no earlier than 2025. Last year, NASA pushed back the planned launch. It would be the first moon landing by astronauts since NASA's Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

阿耳忒弥斯计划的目标是不早于2025年让美国宇航员登上月球。去年，美国宇航局推迟了原计划的发射。这将是1972年美国宇航局阿波罗17号任务以来宇航员首次登月。

NASA is calling the first launch of the SLS rocket Artemis 1. There will be no crew on the spacecraft during the first mission. SLS will carry NASA's Orion spacecraft on a test mission to fly around the moon.

美国宇航局宣布进行太空发射系统火箭阿耳忒弥斯1号的首次发射。在首次任务期间，飞船上将不会搭载乘员。太空发射系统将搭载美国宇航局猎户座飞船执行绕月飞行的测试任务。

NASA announced last year that it had chosen American company SpaceX as its partner to land the next astronauts on the moon. SpaceX has already completed several missions to carry astronauts to the International Space Station. SpaceX uses the Falcon¹ 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft.

美国宇航局去年宣布已经选择美国太空探索技术公司作为其合作伙伴，将下一批宇航员送上月球。美国太空探索技术公司已经完成了数次将宇航员送到国际空间站的任务。美国太空探索技术公司使用的是猎鹰9号火箭和载人龙飞船。

SpaceX also is developing and testing a human landing system (HLS) designed to put humans on the moon. NASA's plan for the future calls for its SLS rocket to transport astronauts on the Orion spacecraft to lunar orbit. From there, astronauts would transfer to SpaceX's HLS to be transported to the surface of the moon.

美国太空探索技术公司还在开发和测试旨在将人类送上月球的人类着陆系统（HLS）。美国宇航局的未来计划要求太空发射系统火箭将猎户座飞船上的宇航员送上月球轨道。宇航员将会从那里转移到美国太空探索技术公司的人类着陆系统以送往月球表面。

SpaceX has also developed a super heavy space vehicle called Starship. Company chief Elon Musk² has said Starship is designed to transport astronauts to the moon, as well as possibly Mars. Unlike the SLS rocket, Starship is designed to be reusable. SpaceX plans to carry out a test flight to launch Starship into orbit sometime this year.

美国太空探索技术公司还开发了一种名为星际飞船的超重型太空飞行器。该公司负责人埃隆·马斯克曾表示，星际飞船旨在将宇航员送上月球，也可能是火星。与太空发射系统不同，星际飞船被设计为可重复使用。美国太空探索技术公司计划在今年某个时间进行一次试飞，将星际飞船送入轨道。

In addition to Starship, NASA announced earlier this month that it is seeking additional proposals from American companies to develop moon landers. The landers are to transport astronauts between lunar orbit and the moon's surface.

除了星际飞船，美国宇航局本月初宣布，它正在寻求美国公司更多开发月球着陆器的建议。着陆器将在月球轨道和月球表面之间运送宇航员。

NASA said landers should have the ability to link up with a future, lunar orbiting space station it plans to create called Gateway³.

美国宇航局表示，着陆器应该要有能力连接到它计划建造的被称为网关的未来月球轨道空间站。

In preparation for its upcoming flight, SLS was recently transported to a launch structure in Cape⁴ Canaveral, Florida, for final testing operations. One of the next major tests for the system is called a "wet dress rehearsal⁵."

为了准备即将到来的飞行，太空发射系统最近被运送到佛罗里达州卡纳维拉尔角的一个发射机构进行最后的测试操作。该系统的下一项重大测试之一被称为“湿彩排”。

This preparation will involve engineers fully⁶ loading the rocket's main fuel tanks with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. Then, a simulated launch countdown will take place. The countdown will stop seconds before the rocket's four RS-25 engines start. All other systems are to be fully examined and tested in the coming weeks.

这项准备工作将包括工程师将液氢和液氧充满火箭的主燃料箱。然后将进行模拟发射倒计时。倒计时将在火箭的4台RS-25引擎启动前几秒钟停止。所有其它系统将在未来几周内进行全面测试和检查。

Information from the tests will help decide when the rocket will be launched.

测试产生的信息将有助于决定火箭何时发射。

During the test mission, Orion will aim to travel 450,600 kilometers from Earth, and thousands of kilometers beyond the moon. NASA said this will be farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever traveled. The mission is expected to last four to six weeks.

在测试任务期间，猎户座飞船的目标是前往距离地球450600公里，距离月球数千公里的地方。美国宇航局表示，这将比任何为人类建造的飞船要飞得更远。该任务预计将持续四到六个星期。