The launch of NASA's Artemis-1 Moon mission spacecraft is being targeted in the two-hour launch window opening 11:47 pm IST on September 3, 2022. Presently, the lift-off is scheduled for 11:47 pm IST on Saturday.
NASA is all geared up for a crucial second attempt at launching its Artemis 1 mission to the moon after a setback on August 29. NASA is set to make its second attempt at 2:17 pm Florida time, which will be around 11:47 pm for India.
The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is all set to launch the uncrewed Orion spacecraft on an approximately 42-day mission, during which it will orbit the moon before returning to Earth.
Also read: Artemis-1: NASA's new launch attempt of its moon rocket on Saturday
NASA's new moon rocket is poised to send an empty crew capsule into lunar orbit, a half-century after NASA's Apollo programme, which landed 12 astronauts on the moon.
The launch of NASA's Artemis-1 Moon mission spacecraft is being targeted in the two-hour launch window opening 11:47 pm IST on September 3, 2022. Presently, the lift-off is scheduled for 11:47 pm IST on Saturday.
NASA will live stream the launch on NASA's website- https://www.nasa.gov/
It is reportedly said the spacecraft will travel 40,000 miles beyond the far side of the moon and stay in space longer than any human spacecraft has without docking to a space station. The capsule is expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean in October.
Also read: Artemis 1 launch: Everything you need to know about NASA's mega-moon mission
The 322-foot (98-meter) rocket, NASA's most powerful ever built, remains on its pad at Kennedy Space Center, topped by an empty crew capsule. The Space Launch System rocket will attempt to orbit the Moon and return the capsule. Only three test dummies will be aboard. If successful, it will be the first lunar capsule launched since NASA's Apollo programme 50 years ago.
The $4.1 billion test flight, which is already years behind schedule, is the first shot in NASA's Artemis moon-exploration programme, named after Apollo's twin sister in Greek mythology. Astronauts could strap in as early as 2024 for a lap around the Moon, with a lunar landing attempt in 2025.