NASA will launch its Artemis 1 rocket for an earlier-than-expected orbit around the moon.
The Artemis 1 Space Launch System (SLS) rocket was supposed to make the long journey to Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center on Thursday, August 18, in preparation for its launch on August 29. However, NASA said on Monday (Aug. 15) that the rollout had been shifted up to Tuesday evening (Aug. 16). NASA will be providing coverage of the deployment starting at 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT). The Crawler-transporter 2 from the Apollo period will roll with the Artemis 1 stack on top of it to the launch pad.
Artemis 1 Is Ready To Be Launched
According to earlier NASA comments, the journey will take eight to twelve hours, despite the crawler and rocket merely traveling four miles (6.4 kilometers).
The rocket will make its third trip from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to the launch pad during this week’s rollout. Prior rollouts in March and June were followed by attempts at what NASA refers to as a “wet dress rehearsal,” in which the rocket is fuelled and the crew practices the whole launch procedure.
The Artemis 1 stack, made up of the SLS rocket and the Orion capsule, reversed its route to the enormous VAB for changes and preparation at the conclusion of each of those visits. If everything goes according to plan, the rocket will launch this time with a lot more drama and embark on an unmanned test flight around the moon which NASA hopes will open the door for the current astronauts to land on the moon. The first launch opportunity is on August 29; additional launch possibilities are on September 2 and September 5.
The Artemis 1 mission will last between 39 and 42 days, depending on the launch date, according to agency officials. Prior to Artemis 2, which is slated to launch in 2024, NASA will be able to assess how the Orion spacecraft performs in orbit during that period.
