Artemis I, including the SLS booster rocket and Orion spacecraft, is expected to lift off Monday, as early as 8:33 a.m. ET. [Courtesy: NASA]
Key Takeaways:
NASA's Artemis I mission is launching as an uncrewed test flight, marking the first time in nearly 50 years a human-designed spacecraft will journey to lunar orbit using the powerful SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft.
This 42-day mission will push the Orion spacecraft and its heat shield to their limits, collecting critical data via mannequins to prepare for future crewed lunar explorations.
Artemis I is the initial step in NASA's larger program to return humans to the Moon (including the first woman and person of color), ultimately aiming to establish a pathway for long-term lunar exploration and eventual missions to Mars.
It’s finally happening. After years of planning, designing, building, engineering, and testing, NASA’s Artemis I mission is scheduled to lift off Monday on a historic journey to the moon.
“We are go for launch,” NASA associate administrator Robert Cabana told reporters Monday, following a successful Flight Readiness Review. “This day has been a long time coming.”
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Thom is a former senior editor for FLYING. Previously, his freelance reporting appeared in aviation industry magazines. Thom also spent three decades as a TV and digital journalist at CNN’s bureaus in Washington and Atlanta, eventually specializing in aviation. He has reported from air shows in Oshkosh, Farnborough and Paris. Follow Thom on Twitter @thompatterson.
