The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is set to propel an uncrewed capsule named Orion around the moon and back on a six-week test flight on Monday.
Artemis 1 is touted to be the most powerful rocket engine ever flown to space, even more powerful than Apollo’s Saturn V system that took astronauts to the Moon in the 1960s and ‘70s.
Artemis 1 is a first step toward Artemis 3, which is going to result in the first human missions to the Moon in the 21st century and the first since 1972. Artemis 1 is an uncrewed test flight.
Artemis 2, which is scheduled to launch a few years after that, will have astronauts on board. It, too, will be an orbital mission, very much like Apollo 8, which circled the Moon and came back home. The astronauts will spend a longer time orbiting the Moon and will test everything with a human crew.
Through this mission, NASA is aiming to land first woman on the lunar surface, as early as 2025. The last humans to walk on the moon were the two-man descent team of Apollo 17 in 1972, following in the footsteps of 10 other astronauts during five earlier missions beginning with Apollo 11 in 1969.
And, finally, that will lead to a journey to the surface of the Moon in which Artemis 3 – sometime mid-decade – will rendezvous with the SpaceX Starship and transfer crew.
The spacecraft will travel 40,000 miles beyond the far side of the moon. The capsule is expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean in October.
About ARTEMIS-1 launch schedule
NASA officials said on Sunday that all systems appeared "go" for liftoff, and weather forecasts called for an 80% chance of favorable conditions at the top of Monday's two-hour launch window, starting at 8:33 a.m. EDT (6 pm on Monday), diminishing to 60% toward the end of that period.
If the countdown clock is halted for any reason, NASA has set September 2 and September 5 as potential backup launch dates.
Where to watch Artemis-1 launch to the moon?
You can track all the development related to the maiden launch of NASA's Artemis project on the official website of the US space agency or its social media handles.
