First Artemis moon mission to launch on Monday

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NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B, Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022, after being rolled out to the launch pad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Artemis I mission is the first integrated test of the agency’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, SLS rocket, and supporting ground systems. Launch of the uncrewed flight test is targeted for no earlier than Aug. 29. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Americans last walked on the Moon on December 1, 1972, and nobody, not even NASA itself, has even attempted to duplicate the successes of the Apollo missions since then. Now NASA is poised to go back to the Moon and beyond with the launch of the most powerful rocket ever constructed, the Space Launch System (SLS).

The SLS is on the launchpad at Cape Canaveral to launch the Artemis 1 mission into space for its first Moon mission. Duplicating many of the precautions of the Apollo program adopted after the loss of the crew of Apollo 1, Artemis 1 will not be manned and will not actually land on the Moon. The Artemis spacecraft, bigger and more capable than Apollo, will fly to the Moon orbit and then return to the Earth to test the capabilities of the system.

Artemis 1 is scheduled to lift off from Pad 39B of the Kennedy Space Flight Center in Cape Canaveral on Monday at 7:33 a.m. CDT (1233 GMT), weather permitting.

The SLS was designed and developed at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville. Thousands of Alabamians have devoted years of their lives into this rocket and returning Americans to the Moon. Marshall leaders have released a video explaining what they are hoping to achieve with the SLS.

“The Space Launch System is really the backbone of the Artemis missions,” said John Blevins – SLS Chief Engineer at Marshall. “It is the truck. It is the big carry vehicle.”

“It will lift up from Earth with more power than a Saturn V,” said Van Stickland – SLS Program Manager at Marshall. “This time it is more than a race it is about establishing a longtime presence

“The difference between the Apollo program and the Artemis program is really the focus on sustainability and using the Moon as an outpost for further exploration,” Blevins said. “The Space Launch System is the culmination of sixty years of building rockets.”

“We are moving from low Earth orbit like you see in the International Space Station to moving beyond that to take the next step in exploration,” said Sharon Cobb – SLS Associate Program Manager at Marshall. “This time, we are going back to learn how to live and work on the Moon.”

If this and subsequent Artemis missions go well, the plan is for a manned mission to land on the Moon in 2024. That mission will include the first woman to step on the Moon and the first African-American to do so. NASA plans to begin their Moon base in 2028. No one under the age of 55 can remember a manned Moon mission outside of documentaries or history studies. If NASA has its way it could become commonplace.

You can watch the launch live online on Monday starting at 6:30 a.m. EDT (1030 GMT), courtesy of NASA TV.

NASA’s meteorologist estimates that there is over a 70% chance that weather conditions will be favorable for a Monday launch.

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