NASA’s Artemis 1 mission will commence on August 29 and will be the first journey to the moon since the last Apollo mission in 1972.
The Artemis 1 mission will use the newly developed Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which is expected to be the most powerful rocket in the world to launch the unmanned Orion crew capsule into space. The Orion capsule will then travel thousands of miles beyond the Moon to test its deep space exploration capability on a four to six week mission before returning to Earth.
In 2024, astronauts will be travelling aboard the Orion for the same trip to the Moon.
NASA’s mission enthusiasm
Artemis 1, named after the twin sister of Greek deity Apollo will launch from Kennedy Space Center and lead flight director Rick LaBrode is highly enthusiastic about it.
LaBrode has worked at NASA for 37 years and directing the Artemis 1 mission will be a career highlight.
Speaking to journalists at the Mission Control Center in Houston, Texas, LaBrode said:
“This is more exciting than really anything I’ve ever been a part of.”
In fact, he’s so excited that it’s a good thing Artemis 1 is an unmanned test flight as LaBrode would likely be struggling to keep his eyes open during the trip since he stated that he won’t be able to sleep the night before launch day.
“I’m going to be so excited. I won’t be able to sleep too much, I’m sure of that.”
Discussing the Artemis 1 mission and the Orion capsule on NASA’s website, the mission’s manager, Mike Sarafin stated:
“This is a mission that truly will do what hasn’t been done and learn what isn’t known.”
“It will blaze a trail that people will follow on the next Orion flight, pushing the edges of the envelope to prepare for that mission.”
The SLS rocket will produce 8.8 million pounds of thrust to launch itself and the Orion capsule weighing a combined six million pounds into space. As the spacecraft enters the Earth’s orbit, it will deploy its solar arrays and the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) which will give the Orion capsule the thrust it needs to escape Earth’s orbit and make its journey to the Moon.
The full details of the Artemis 1 mission and the tests Orion will be conducting in space can be read here.
How to watch the Artemis 1 launch
The Artemis 1 mission is set to commence on August 29 at 8:33am ET which is 4:33pm GST. The countdown to the SLS rocket launch starts approximately 45 hours before the actual launch and space enthusiasts can watch the launch at NASA.gov and on YouTube here.