NASA’s Artemis 1 Mega Moon Mission Launch Date Unveiled: Potential Liftoff by End of Summer

NASA officials said they plan to launch the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Artemis I mission from Kennedy Space Center in August.

As of writing, the agency claims its possible launch dates are Aug. 29, Sept. 2, and Sept. 5. The dates, according to Space.com, are contingent on the Space Launch System rocket receiving repairs and modifications.

If everything goes to plan, NASA officials said in the Space.com report that the three launch attempts would each have a distinct mission length and launch window.

If Artemis 1 launches successfully, the Orion spacecraft would return to Earth after 42 days for splashdown on Oct. 10. The launch opportunity on Aug. 29 would begin at 8:33 a.m. EDT and run for two hours.

The two-hour launch window on Sept. 2 begins at 12:48 p.m. EDT. In this case, Artemis 1 would return on Oct. 11 after 39 days. The final chance comes on Sept. 5, with a 1.5-hour launch window beginning at 5:12 p.m. EDT. Artemis 1 would return 42 days later, on Oct. 17, at that time.

NASA Eyes Late Summer Launch for Artemis 1 Mission: Prepare for Schedule Changes

Jim Free, the assistant administrator for NASA's Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, clarified during a news conference Wednesday that the launch dates for Artemis I might change.

According to Free, the schedule changes are "not an agency commitment. "We'll make the agency commitment after a flight readiness review just a little over a week before launch," he added (via CNN).

The rocket launches might vary depending on the weather and other variables. The eclipse that will take place from Aug. 30 to Sept. 1 might also affect the launch and mission.

Still, approximately a week before the launch, NASA will make a more certain commitment. That is until the agency has finished evaluating the Artemis 1 stack, which includes SLS and the Orion capsule perched atop the rocket, for flight readiness.

If weather or technical difficulties cause Artemis 1 to be delayed, the agency has identified three intermediate launch options through mid-2023 as a backup.

SLS, Orion Rocket For Artemis 1 Timeline

On July 2, the mission crew hauled the rocket back into the Vehicle Assembly Building to examine problems that surfaced during the test, such as a hydrogen leak.

Engineers discovered a loose fitting on the interior wall of the rocket's main engine section while making repairs for the leak. Cliff Lanham, senior vehicle operations manager for NASA's Exploration Ground Systems Program, noted in the CNN report that the task of tightening the collet, a fist-sized ring, is now finished. The most recent tests, completed in June, achieved 90 percent of the team's objectives, AFP (via RFI) added.

Click Orlando added that the rocket is back at the Vehicle Assembly Building after NASA finished a wet dress rehearsal in June. It may be examined and repaired for a hydrogen leak before being returned to the launch pad.

One of the three mannequins (Commander Moonequin Campos) has been put on board the Orion spacecraft, and the crew is also doing final testing.

ALSO READ: NASA Declares Artemis 1 Wet Dress Rehearsal Good Enough to Push Moon Mission

SLS, Orion Rocket For Artemis 1 Timeline

The National News mentioned that NASA and its partners have been constructing the 101-meter-tall Space Launch System for many years.

When the SLS finally lifts off, it will have a thrust of 3,991 tonnes and travel to space in roughly eight minutes at a speed of 40,233 miles per hour. Orion will be placed in the desired orbit, where it will launch its mission to the Moon.

The spacecraft will travel 100 km over the Moon's surface before being pulled into an opposite orbit, 70,000 km away from the Moon, by the Moon's gravitational pull. It will remain there for six days to gather data and enable mission control to assess the spacecraft's performance.

A crewed mission to orbit the Moon is included in Artemis 2's launch scheduled for 2024. The program's first human lunar landing mission, Artemis 3, has been postponed until 2025.

To assist the Artemis mission, NASA and its international partners are also creating the Lunar Gateway. This tiny station would be deployed in lunar orbit.

It would allow personnel to dock their spaceship to the Gateway and provide an area for astronauts to live, work, and conduct scientific research.

RELATED ARTICLE: NASA Artemis 1 Moon Rocket Undergoing 'Critical' Series of Tests This Weekend in Preparation for This Year's Launch 

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