NASA's Artemis I: Here are all the details from its mission to launch date

NASA has made the exciting announcement that Artemis I Moon mission has been given the go-ahead after a successful flight readiness review on Monday.NASA’s Orion aircraft and Space Launch Systems (SLS) rocket will blast off from Earth on 29 August 2022 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Straight from NASA, here are all the details you need to know about Artemis I:

What is the Artemis programme?

NASA states,

Artemis I is an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration and demonstrate our commitment and capability to return humans to the Moon and extend beyond.

Artemis I is the first integrated test of NASA’s deep space exploration systems, which consists of the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the ground systems at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

With, Artemis I, NASA will launch Orion and SLS into space. As per BBC, this mission has been in the works for over a decade and has cost more than $20 billion up to now.

The Artemis I mission will in the future be followed by Artemis II, which will be the first crewed flight test around the Moon and Artemis III, which will push the boundaries of human exploration even further.

Objectives of NASA’s Artemis I

Artemis I is essentially the foundation for astronauts and NASA scientists to begin building and testing systems necessary for long-term space exploration, including on the lunar surface and Mars.

As per NASA,

We will build an Artemis Base Camp on the surface and the Gateway in lunar orbit. These elements will allow our robots and astronauts to explore more and conduct more science than ever before.

Orion spacecraft is designed to carry astronauts into space, including to the Moon and Mars. This first flight will show how Orion and the SLS rocket perform and demonstrate their capability to orbit the Moon and return safely to Earth.

NASA stated that this will then be followed by future missions to the lunar vicinity, which will make it possible for the first woman and first person of colour to land on the Moon.

What is the mission duration and where can we watch the launch?

The launch will happen on August 29, 2022, at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The time window for the launch is between 8:33 a.m. EDT to 10:33 a.m or 1:33 pm GMT to 3:33 pm

The total mission will last for 42 days, 3 hours, and 20 minutes and the splashdown will happen on October 10, 2022, with the targeted site being the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of San Diego.

You can watch the live stream of the launch on NASA's live page. You can also watch a live stream of Artemis I- Launch Complex 39B right now on Kennedy Space Center’s Youtube page.

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