NASA on Wednesday will launch its Artemis 1 mission to prepare for returning humans to Earth’s Moon, reimagining the space programs that first captured the world’s attention a half century ago.
Would-be future astronauts and curious Earthlings happy to keep their feet on the ground have several options to watch and learn more about the rescheduled mission, which uses a $4.1 billion rocket and spacecraft.
Viewing the fueling of the rocket begins as soon as Tuesday afternoon (see full details below).
NASA scrubbed a couple of earlier attempts in August and September after an engine problem was creating fuel leaks for the rocket.
Artemis 1, which will send an uncrewed Orion capsule to lunar orbit using a Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, is scheduled to lift off from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center Wednesday during a two-hour window that opens at 1:04 a.m. Eastern time (0604 GMT).
“I feel good headed into this attempt on the 16th,” Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager at NASA headquarters in Washington, said during a recent press briefing.
Artemis 1 will last about 26 days if it launches on Wednesday. (Different launch dates lead to different mission durations, thanks to orbital dynamics.) There’s a 90% chance of good weather on Wednesday. If Artemis 1 can’t fly on that day, NASA has backup dates of Nov. 19 and Nov. 25.
The NASA team was focused on a thin strip of caulking called RTV that encircles Orion. The RTV helps smooth out a small indentation in the capsule that could potentially cause some unwanted circulation and heating of air during flight, Sarafin said, according to a NASA posting.
Hurricane Nicole earlier this month tore some of that caulking loose when it slammed into Florida’s Space Coast, mission team members said. It’s possible that some of the storm-torn RTV could shake free during liftoff, creating a debris hazard for the SLS, Sarafin said. The team is still examining the nature and severity of this risk.
“We need to just spend a little more time to review our flight rationale headed into this launch attempt, specifically as it pertains to liberation of any remaining RTV and debris transport,” Sarafin said.
The Artemis I mission is a long-duration, 1.3 million-mile (2.1 million kilometers) trip to the Moon, past the Moon, and then back again. This uncrewed journey of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft will be crucial to get the two systems ready for humans for future Moon missions later in the decade, NASA says.
Together the systems will not only provide valuable testing for humans, but they will also carry humanoid and robotic passengers for scientific purposes and to foster public interest in the program, writes Elizabeth Howell, Ph.D., a staff writer for the spaceflight channel Space.com. Because the Artemis I mission is uncrewed, a plush Snoopy will provide a zero-gravity indicator to show the team on the ground when the spacecraft reaches weightlessness, NASA explained.
Related: How NASA’s Artemis moon landing with astronauts works
The Space Launch System rocket — the largest rocket ever made — is the modern equivalent of the Saturn V that took NASA astronauts to the moon during the Apollo program some 50 years ago, and it is the centerpiece of NASA’s Artemis program.
This launch is the first of three Artemis missions on the schedule, with Artemis II in 2024 slated to take four crew members, and Artemis III due to take two astronauts to the lunar surface in 2025 or later.
Private-sector space missions have ramped up as well, with mixed results to date, including from Amazon.com
AMZN,
CEO Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin.
Here’s where and when to watch Artemis 1
Viewers can watch the Artemis 1 liftoff on Space.com, courtesy of NASA TV, with live event coverage of the countdown and launch. Viewing can also take place from the NASA mobile app and the agency’s official website. Broadcasting of prelaunch activities starts at 3:30 p.m. EST Tuesday (2030 GMT) when the agency begins the Space Launch System’s cryogenic fueling process.
Space junkies interested in the very early prep might try NASA YouTube. Replays can be found there as well.
On launch day, a live broadcast of the festivities includes celebrity appearances by Jack Black, Chris Evans, and Keke Palmer, as well as a patriotic performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” courtesy of Josh Groban and Herbie Hancock. Then we’ll hear “America the Beautiful” played by The Philadelphia Orchestra and cellist Yo-Yo Ma, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
The live launch livestream will follow at 10:30 p.m. EST (0330 Nov. 16 GMT).
NASA is hosting a series of webcasts leading up to the uncrewed Artemis 1 launch, which will mark the first test flight of the Space Launch System megarocket with its Orion spacecraft. The launch day webcast will include special guests like actors Chris Evans, Jack Black and Keke Palmer.
If all goes well with the launch, NASA will host a webcast to highlight the first trajectory maneuver to send the Artemis 1 Orion beyond Earth orbit and off to the Moon. The time of this coverage may change depending on the launch time of the Artemis 1 mission, but it is currently set for 8:30 a.m. EST (1330 GMT).
The last major Artemis 1 launch day event is when the Orion spacecraft is expected to beam its first views of the Earth from space. That is scheduled for 10 a.m. EST (1500 GMT) on Nov. 16. Like the outbound trajectory maneuver, the timing of this broadcast is subject to change depending on the exact launch time and the health of the Orion spacecraft.
The Artemis program, which pledges to eventually land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, has a dedicated Twitter account at @NASAArtemis. You can also follow the events there.
